ADHDNCT04526600
Fidgeting and Attentional and Emotional Regulation in ADHD
A study testing Fidget ball in people with ADHD, run by University of California, Davis at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This project will study how fidgeting relates to cognitive and emotional functioning in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It will determine, in a laboratory setting, whether movement and access to a "fidget device" providing sensory and motor stimulation can improve cognitive and emotional… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- Conditions the study is for
- ADHD
- What is being tested?
- Fidget ball
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 109 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 21 Mar 2022to 1 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- ADHD
- History of fidgeting
Who cannot join
- Currently taking psychoactive medication, with the exception of stimulant medication for ADHD or medication that can affect heart rate;
- Presence of significant depression or psychotic disorders, autism, visual or hearing impairment or any other disorder that may interfere with task performance; and IQ below 85
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
UC Davis MIND Institute
Sacramento, California, 95817
Jared Borden, 916-703-0294, jborden@ucdavis.edu
About this study
Official title: Can Fidgeting Lead to Enhanced Attention and Emotional Regulation in ADHD?
This project will study how fidgeting relates to cognitive and emotional functioning in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It will determine, in a laboratory setting, whether movement and access to a "fidget device" providing sensory and motor stimulation can improve cognitive and emotional regulation (including on physiological measures) in adult ADHD. The investigators will also acquire pilot data for machine learning analyses to be used in future, large scale studies to identify gestures and touch characteristics associated with improved cognitive and emotional regulation to see if the data can predict and subsequently develop recommendations to improve performance and emotional control in natural settings (e.g., home, office, college classroom) for adult ADHD.
Read the detailed description
Fidgeting is a highly common behavior, with excessive fidgeting associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies from the investigator's laboratory and colleagues suggest physical movement can enhance cognitive performance in children with ADHD. Hyper-sensorimotor behavior may be related to impaired regulation of arousal in the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems. This project will assess if frequency and characteristics of sensorimotor behavior relates to cognitive and emotional response in adults with ADHD, in a fine-grained manner, unlike other studies. The investigators will test if intrinsic fidgeting (Aim 1) and access to a specially designed fidget device (Aim 2) modulates behavioral and physiological response in cognitively and emotionally-demanding contexts. The hype of the commercially available fidget devices, its competitors and fidget spinners suggest it might, but there is no systematic evidence to inform consumers, a gap, the investigators aim to fill.
- Conditions
- ADHD
- Being tested
- Fidget ball
- Medical subject headings
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Fidget ballOther
Access to a prototype 'smart' fidget ball with pressure sensors embedded, that produces touch traces and transmits real time data
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| No fidget | No intervention | Not described |
| With fidget | Experimental | The participant is given a specially designed fidget ball Receives: Other: Fidget ball |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Processing speed
Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT)
Measured: Day 1
Working memory
List Sorting Test
Measured: Day 1
Response inhibition
Flanker type test
Measured: Day 1
Secondary outcomes (1)
Physiological response as an index of emotional regulation
Heart rate variability and pre ejection period
Measured: Approximately 45 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Aug 2020
- Study start21 Mar 2022
- Primary completion1 Jul 2024
- Study completion1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ADHDStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, DavisThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 109 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Davis
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D., Principal investigator, UC Davis MIND Institute
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04526600
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1607722
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Aug 2020
- Last updated
- 15 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data will be shared via NDAR
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Can Fidgeting Lead to Enhanced Attention and Emotional Regulation in ADHD?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04526600
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1607722
- Conditions
- ADHD
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 109 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, DavisUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 21 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Aug 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This project will study how fidgeting relates to cognitive and emotional functioning in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It will determine, in a laboratory setting, whether movement and access to a "fidget device" providing sensory and motor stimulation can improve cognitive and emotional regulation (including on physiological measures) in adult ADHD. The investigators will also acquire pilot data for machine learning analyses to be used in future, large scale studies to identify gestures and touch characteristics associated with improved cognitive and emotional regulation to see if the data can predict and subsequently develop recommendations to improve performance and emotional control in natural settings (e.g., home, office, college classroom) for adult ADHD.
Detailed description
Fidgeting is a highly common behavior, with excessive fidgeting associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies from the investigator's laboratory and colleagues suggest physical movement can enhance cognitive performance in children with ADHD. Hyper-sensorimotor behavior may be related to impaired regulation of arousal in the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems. This project will assess if frequency and characteristics of sensorimotor behavior relates to cognitive and emotional response in adults with ADHD, in a fine-grained manner, unlike other studies. The investigators will test if intrinsic fidgeting (Aim 1) and access to a specially designed fidget device (Aim 2) modulates behavioral and physiological response in cognitively and emotionally-demanding contexts. The hype of the commercially available fidget devices, its competitors and fidget spinners suggest it might, but there is no systematic evidence to inform consumers, a gap, the investigators aim to fill.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| No fidget | No intervention | – |
| With fidget | Experimental | Other: Fidget ballThe participant is given a specially designed fidget ball |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- ADHD
- History of fidgeting
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Currently taking psychoactive medication, with the exception of stimulant medication for ADHD or medication that can affect heart rate;
- Presence of significant depression or psychotic disorders, autism, visual or hearing impairment or any other disorder that may interfere with task performance; and IQ below 85
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Fidget ballAccess to a prototype 'smart' fidget ball with pressure sensors embedded, that produces touch traces and transmits real time data | Other | With fidget |
Primary outcome
Processing speed
Time frame: Day 1
Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT)
Working memory
Time frame: Day 1
List Sorting Test
Response inhibition
Time frame: Day 1
Flanker type test
1 secondary outcome
Physiological response as an index of emotional regulation
Time frame: Approximately 45 minutes
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Sep 2026.
- Learn more or sign up for the study here!Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data will be shared via NDAR
Related trials for ADHD
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Julie Schweitzer, Ph.D. principal investigator
UC Davis MIND Institute
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Fidget ball in people with ADHD, run by University of California, Davis at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jared Borden (916-703-0294, jborden@ucdavis.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Processing speed (time frame: Day 1). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Sep 2026.