NCT05910814: EPICA

Effect of Physical Exercise on Motor Learning Acquired With Physical or Mental Practice

Completed NA Last updated 29 November 2024

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Sleep Deprivation (SD) in Physical Exercise in 70 participants. Completed in 20 September 2024.

Timeline

16 June 2023

Primary endpoint
20 September 2024

20 September 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Hospices Civils de Lyon
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	basic science
Enrollment	70
Start date	16 June 2023
Primary completion	20 September 2024
Estimated completion	20 September 2024
Sites	2 locations across France

Drugs / interventions tested

• Sleep Deprivation (SD)
• Normal Night (Night)
• Physical Exercise (HIIE)
• Rest control
• Motor imagery
• Physical Practice (PP)

Conditions studied

• Physical Exercise — all drugs for Physical Exercise →
• Motor Learning — all drugs for Motor Learning →

Sponsor

Hospices Civils de Lyon — full company profile →

Who can join

Adults 18 to 35, any sex, with Physical Exercise or Motor Learning. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Motor learning is crucial for human daily routine, involving the acquisition of new movements. It consists of an online acquisition phase followed by offline consolidation, where motor memory is organized into stable representations. Acquisition can be achieved through physical practice (PP, overt repetition of movement) or mental rehearsal using motor imagery (MI). Recent studies suggest that high-intensity interval physical exercise (HIIE) enhances motor learning, particularly during consolidation, by promoting neural plasticity mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, the impact of HIIE on sequential motor consolidation with PP or MI remains poorly understood.

In contrast, sleep deprivation (SD) reduces BDNF release and neural plasticity. Limited research has explored the effects of SD on motor acquisition, especially sequential motor learning. Considering the opposing effects of HIIE and SD, performing HIIE after SD may protect motor consolidation processes.

This study aims to examine the influence of HIIE on sequential motor learning using PP or MI under both sleep-deprived and normal sleep conditions. Six groups, each comprising 12 participants, will learn an 8-item bimanual sequence.

* MI group: acquired the motor sequence mentally during training
* MI+HIIE group: acquired the motor sequence mentally and achieve a HIIE before the consolidation
* PP: acquired the motor sequence physically
* PP+HIIE group: acquired the motor sequence physically and achieve a HIIE before the consolidation
* SD+PP group: one night of sleep deprivation prior physical motor acquisition with PP and consolidation
* SD+PP+HIIE group: one night of sleep deprivation prior physical motor acquisition and HIIE before consolidation.

All groups will be tested on the sequence at the beginning and the end of the acquisition phase (pre- and post-acquisition), and after the physical exercise (i.e. HIIE) or the rest period (post-exercise).

Hypothesis of this study are :

* Acute physical exercise (HIIE) would enhance the consolidation of motor memory (post-exercise) after physical and mental acquisition (PP,MI) compared to conditions without exercise.
* One night of sleep deprivation would affect the acquisition and consolidation of motor learning.

Physical exercise would compensate for the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on the consolidation of motor learning.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.