Layer-specific Contribution to Consolidation of Skill Learning in the Primary Motor Cortex

NCT04431011 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 20010520-N-0105
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: Training in a new motor skill often involves periods of active practice and periods of rest. During early motor skill learning, improvements in performance usually happen during the short rest periods between practice sessions. Researchers want to use improved imaging techniques to study the contributions of specific parts of the brain to how people learn and retain movement skills. Objective: To learn the part played by different layers in the brain in retaining a newly learned movement skill. Eligibility: Healthy, right-handed, English-speaking people age 18-50. Design: Participants will be screened with:

• Medical and neurological history
• Medicine review
• Physical exam
• Neurological exam. Participants may have 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain. During the MRI, they will lie in the scanner. The scanner makes noise. They will get earplugs. Participants will have behavior testing. A specific order of keys will be displayed on a computer screen. Participants will practice typing the keys with their left hand 36 times (in 10-second blocks). They will repeat this test with a random order of keys. Participants will see single numbers displayed one after the other on the computer screen. They will make single tap responses using the finger that corresponds with the number on the screen. Participants will have up to 4 study sessions. Each session will take about 5 hours.

Conditions

Normal Physiology

Keywords

Healthy; Learning Consolidation; Brain; Natural History

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The primary aim is to determine the role of superficial and deep cortical layers of M1 in the consolidation of motor skill learning.

  To address this question, we will measure neural activations across cortical laminae in M1 while participants consolidate a newly acquired motor skill.

  4 years

Study Arms (1)

Participants

Healthy right-handed participants aged 18-50

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy right-handed adults aged 18-50

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-50
• English speaking
• Right-hand dominance (\>74 on Edinburgh Handedness Inventory)
• Normal neurological examination
• Willing and able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• HCPS-affiliated NIH staff (i.e. - staff from our section).
• Current pregnancy
• Current or past history of use of antiepileptic drugs
• Contraindications for MRI (such as certain implants, metal fragments or devices in the body) as determined by the screening clinician
• Severe or progressive neurological, psychological or medical condition

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Links

• NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page

Study Officials

• Leonardo G Cohen, M.D.

  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 12, 2020
• First Posted: June 16, 2020
• Study Start: April 21, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 9, 2024
• Study Completion: December 9, 2024
• Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-10-27

Locations

US (1)