Human Movement Database

NCT00001252 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 90016890-CC-0168
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 7,500
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will collect information on the different ways people control limb and body movements. This information will be used to develop a database on normal movements and adaptive movements of people who have diseases that affect the way they move. The database will serve as a tool to improve diagnosis and treatment of patients with movement-related problems. Volunteers from one month old to old age who have normal movement patterns or who have developed different ways to perform movement tasks may be eligible for this study. A physician or physical therapist will screen candidates to determine their strength, flexibility and range of motion of joints. Participants will be asked to perform movements such as walking, walking up or down stairs, standing quietly or reaching for an object or using treadmill. For the test, the arms and legs are wrapped with a soft, rubber-like material to which small plastic reflective balls are attached. A piece of firm material called a shell may be attached to the rubber sleeves or other areas of the body. Then the volunteer performs the specified task several times while special cameras record the movement. These cameras will record the positions of the reflective balls during movement and may show the person s face or body. Electrical activity in the muscles also may be measured, using small metal electrodes attached to the surface of the skin with an adhesive bandage.

Conditions

Movement Disorder

Keywords

Biomechanics; Kinesiology; Walking; Natural History

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Gait Kinematics

  Strength and spasticity testing both include torque or force measurements as the primary outcomes. Balance testing typically yields the amount, velocity and direction of sway in response to different conditions or perturbations.

  end of testing

Study Arms (2)

healthy volunteer

Normal/healthy volunteers

Impaired volunteer

volunteers with impairments of the neuromusculoskeletal system.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 1 Month - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Normal/healthy volunteers and volunteers with impairments of the neuromusculoskeletal system. Subjects will be evenly distributed between males and females

You may qualify if:

• Individuals with neuromuscular disorders and Healthy Volunteers in order to be eligible to participate in this study, must meet all of the following criteria:
• Children; One month old to 17 years of age
• In the case of infants and very young children, they need to be able to imitate or perform an action on cue (e.g., reach out for a toy that is presented or take steps if placed on a treadmill) based on the parent report if the subject is a child and physician observation during history and physical examination.
• Adults; 18 years 99 years
• In good general health as evidenced by medical history or diagnosed with impairment of neuromusculoskeletal system
• Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
• Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
• For those participants older than 5 years of age who have an abnormal gait pattern when walking as a result of a central nervous system injury, Dr. Alter will ask them or their guardian about their seizure history

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals with neuromuscular disorders and Healthy Volunteers, who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
• Individuals with pacemakers
• Pregnancy
• Adults unable to provide informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• Murray MP. Gait as a total pattern of movement. Am J Phys Med. 1967 Feb;46(1):290-333. No abstract available.

  PMID: 5336886 BACKGROUND

• Benvenuti F, Stanhope SJ, Thomas SL, Panzer VP, Hallett M. Flexibility of anticipatory postural adjustments revealed by self-paced and reaction-time arm movements. Brain Res. 1997 Jun 27;761(1):59-70. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)00260-6.

  PMID: 9247066 BACKGROUND

• Hallett M, Lebiedowska MK, Thomas SL, Stanhope SJ, Denckla MB, Rumsey J. Locomotion of autistic adults. Arch Neurol. 1993 Dec;50(12):1304-8. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1993.00540120019007.

  PMID: 8257307 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Movement Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Study Officials

• Katharine E Alter, M.D.

  National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Mayra J Medrano

CONTACT

(301) 451-7529; mayra.medrano@nih.gov

Katharine E Alter, M.D.

CONTACT

(301) 496-4733; kalter@cc.nih.gov

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 1999
• First Posted: November 4, 1999
• Study Start: March 13, 1995
• Last Updated: April 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02-03

Locations

US (1)