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Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisNCT06541873

Gait Patterns in Dual-task Conditions in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

An observational study of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Motor Neuron Disease, run by IRCCS San Raffaele.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The investigators hypothesize a relevant impact of cognitive status over gait performance in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), contributing to poor mobility and representing a relevant risk for falls. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Clinical and gait evaluation
How many people
60 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Sep 2024to 31 Aug 2027
Phase
Observational
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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Based on previous experience and referral rates to the San Raffaele ALS Center (directed by the PI, including the Neurology and Neurorehabilitation wards and outpatient ALS clinic counting 50 new patients/year, 80 second opinion/year; 120 patients in care), the investigators plan to enroll at least 30 patients with ALS or any other MND phenotype, as well as 30 healthy controls with similar age and sex distribution, in line with sample size of previous studies ranging from 11 (Hausdorff et al., 2000) to 42 (Dubbioso et al., 2023). Healthy controls will be recruited by word of mouth, via consenting friends and non-consanguineous relatives who will be accompanying patients for study visits. Subjects will be assessed for suitability from their clinical notes or via a telephone screen. Given the cross-sectional, single-visit design of the present study, the investigators expect all patients to complete the study.

Who may be able to join

None listed.

Who cannot join

  • An individual (either patient or healthy control) who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
  • Diagnosis of dementia;
  • Medical conditions or substance abuse that could interfere with cognition;
  • Any (other) major systemic, psychiatric, neurological, visual, and musculoskeletal disturbances or other causes of walking inability.

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Edoardo Gioele Spinelli, MD, PhD contact

+39 (0)2 2643 3033

spinelli.edoardogioele@hsr.it

Elisabetta Sarasso, MSc, PT contact

+39 (0)2 2643 3051

sarasso.elisabetta@hsr.it

About this study

Official title: DuALS - A Cross-sectional Observational Study of Gait Patterns in Dual-task Conditions in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The investigators hypothesize a relevant impact of cognitive status over gait performance in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), contributing to poor mobility and representing a relevant risk for falls. The present observational, cross-sectional study on ambulatory patients with ALS will evaluate gait performance using different sets of dual-task conditions to demonstrate the importance of cognitive aspects in rehabilitation programs for these patients. The dual-task conditions to be assessed during gait performance will include: counting backwards by 3 (executive simple task); counting backwards by 7 (executive complex task); mnemonic recall of the Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Patients' performance will be compared with a group of healthy controls with similar age and sex distribution in order to highlight the specific effects of the disease.

Being tested
Clinical and gait evaluation
Medical subject headings
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Clinical and gait evaluationOther

    The dual-task conditions to be assessed during gait performance will include: counting backwards by 3 (executive simple task); counting backwards by 7 (executive complex task); mnemonic recall of the Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Performance scores will be correlated with cognitive status and clinical features. Data will be collected at the baseline (i.e., only) visit within the enrollment timeframe of 3 years from study initiation.

Study groups in NCT06541873
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Patients with ALS or other motor neuron disease phenotypePatients with ALS and other MND phenotypes will undergo gait evaluation using wearable sensors in different conditions (single-task vs dual-task conditions).
Receives: Other: Clinical and gait evaluation
Healthy controls30 healthy controls with similar age and sex distribution will undergo the same evaluations as patients
Receives: Other: Clinical and gait evaluation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Dual-task cost at 1-Minute Walking Test performance

    Percentage of variability of gait scores obtained at the 1-Minute Walking Test (1minWT) (i.e., meters walked in one minute) in dual-task vs. single-task conditions in ALS patients compared with healthy controls

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  2. Dual-task cost at Timed Up and Go performance

    Percentage of variability of gait scores obtained at the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (i.e., time in seconds) in dual-task vs. single-task conditions in ALS patients compared with healthy controls

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Walking velocity

    Performance at 10 Meters Walking Test (10MWT) in terms of time (seconds)

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  2. Executive simple task

    Ability to count backwards by 3 (number of correct subtractions in one minute)

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  3. Executive complex task

    Ability to count backwards by 7 (number of correct subtractions in one minute)

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  4. Mnemonic ability

    Performance at Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) (number of correct immediate recalls of 15 items presented verbally).

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  5. Functional disability

    ALS Functional Rating Scale scores [ALSFRS-r] ranging from 0 (worst functional status) to 48 (best functional status), as available from clinical charts

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  6. Muscle strength

    Medical Research Council [MRC] muscle testing in each tested muscle district ranging from 0 (worst performance) to 5 (best performance), as available from clinical charts

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

  7. Cognitive impairment

    Edinburgh Cognitive Assessment Scale [ECAS] performance ranging from 0 (worst performance) to 136 (best performance), as available from clinical charts

    Measured: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted7 Aug 2024
  2. Study startSep 2024 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
60 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06541873
Sponsor's protocol ID
DuALS
Status last verified
Aug 2024
First submitted
8 Jul 2024
Last updated
7 Aug 2024
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Motor Neuron Disease, run by IRCCS San Raffaele.

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 0 inclusion and 4 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Aug 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

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 Edoardo Gioele Spinelli, MD, PhD (+39 (0)2 2643 3033, spinelli.edoardogioele@hsr.it), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Dual-task cost at 1-Minute Walking Test performance (time frame: Cross-sectional (baseline) evaluation). The study lists 2 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 7 Aug 2024.

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