Young AdultsNCT07718698
Effects of Tool Handling on Language Processing
A study testing Dexterous tool-use training and Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online) in people with Young Adults, run by Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre at 1 site in Brazil.
Trial summary
This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of a context-specific tool-handling intervention on linguistic processing in healthy young adults. Participants will be allocated into three groups: a dexterous tool-use training group, a dexterous manual training group without tools, and a Control… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 19 to 24 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Young Adults
- What is being tested?
- Dexterous tool-use training and Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBrazil
- Study dates
- 31 Jul 2026to 31 Mar 2027
- 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 19 to 24 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Healthy young adults aged between 19 and 24 years;
- Right-handed individuals.
Who cannot join
- Previous diagnosis of neurological and/or psychiatric disorders;
- History of traumatic brain injury;
- Use of psychoactive substances or medications that may affect cognitive functioning;
- Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Brazil1 site
UFCSPA
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90050170
Thainara Cruz da Rosa, MsC, +55 51 991591680, thainaracruzr@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Analysis of the Effect of a Tool-Handling Intervention in a Specific Context on the Linguistic Processing of Healthy Young Adults
This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of a context-specific tool-handling intervention on linguistic processing in healthy young adults. Participants will be allocated into three groups: a dexterous tool-use training group, a dexterous manual training group without tools, and a Control group.
The dexterous tool-use training group will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a specific functional context. The intervention requires sequential motor planning, force control, precision, and goal-directed tool use. The dexterous manual training group without tools will perform a similar bead-placement activity without tool use, involving direct hand manipulation and lower task complexity. Both intervention groups will participate in synchronous online sessions via Google Meet for 20 minutes per day, five times per week, over a two-week period.
Read more
The Control group will not receive any structured intervention and will instead be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week period.
Linguistic processing will be assessed through a sentence judgment task involving sentences with and without semantic violations, in which participants will classify the sentences as correct or incorrect while electroencephalographic activity (EEG) is recorded. Additionally, sleep quality and manual dexterity will also be evaluated.
The findings of this study may contribute to understanding the relationship between tool-related motor training and linguistic processing, particularly the interaction between motor and language systems in healthy young adults. Additionally, the study may provide evidence regarding neurophysiological changes associated with context-specific motor interventions.
- Conditions
- Young Adults
- Being tested
- Dexterous tool-use training, Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online), Control
- Keywords
- tool, manual dexterity, language
- Medical subject headings
- Language
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Dexterous tool-use trainingBehavioural
The intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a functional and goal-directed context.
Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online)Behavioural
The intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a bead-placement activity directly with their hands, without the use of tools.
ControlBehavioural
Participants allocated to the control group will not receive structured training. They will be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week study period.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Dexterous tool-use training | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Dexterous tool-use training |
| Dexterous manual training group without tools | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online) |
| Control | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Reaction time
Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Reaction time will be measured as the time elapsed between the presentation of each sentence and the participant's button press indicating whether the sentence is grammatically correct or incorrect. Mean reaction time across trials will be reported in milliseconds (ms).
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Accuracy
Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Accuracy will be assessed as the absolute number of correct responses. The absolute number of incorrect responses (errors) will also be recorded.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Secondary outcomes (8)
N200 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude
Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The mean amplitude of the N200 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
P300 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude
Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The mean amplitude of the P300 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
N200 Event-Related Potential Peak Latency
Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The peak latency of the N200 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
P300 Event-Related Potential Peak latency
Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The peaky latency of the P300 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Hierarchical Embedding in Spontaneous Discourse
Syntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Hierarchical embedding will be quantified as an index of syntactic complexity.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Clauses per Sentence in Spontaneous Discourse
Syntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Clauses per sentence will be calculated as a measure of syntactic complexity.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Left-Branching Load (Frazier Index) in Spontaneous Discourse
SSyntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Left-branching load will be quantified using the Frazier Index.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Manual dexterity
Manual dexterity, visuomotor coordination, and executive functioning will be assessed using the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT). Participants will insert grooved pegs into a board as quickly as possible using both dominant and non-dominant hands. Completion time (in seconds) will be recorded for each hand.
Measured: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Jul 2026
- Study start31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Young AdultsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Aline de Souza Pagnussat, Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07718698
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- TOOLANG
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 22 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: No plan to share individual participant data (IPD). Data will not be shared due to ethical and confidentiality considerations related to participant privacy and the terms of informed consent.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Analysis of the Effect of a Tool-Handling Intervention in a Specific Context on the Linguistic Processing of Healthy Young Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07718698
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- TOOLANG
- Conditions
- Young Adults
- Keywords
- tool, manual dexterity, language
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Federal University of Health Science of Porto AlegreUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 22 Jul 2026 (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 randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of a context-specific tool-handling intervention on linguistic processing in healthy young adults. Participants will be allocated into three groups: a dexterous tool-use training group, a dexterous manual training group without tools, and a Control group.
The dexterous tool-use training group will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a specific functional context. The intervention requires sequential motor planning, force control, precision, and goal-directed tool use. The dexterous manual training group without tools will perform a similar bead-placement activity without tool use, involving direct hand manipulation and lower task complexity. Both intervention groups will participate in synchronous online sessions via Google Meet for 20 minutes per day, five times per week, over a two-week period.
The Control group will not receive any structured intervention and will instead be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week period.
Linguistic processing will be assessed through a sentence judgment task involving sentences with and without semantic violations, in which participants will classify the sentences as correct or incorrect while electroencephalographic activity (EEG) is recorded. Additionally, sleep quality and manual dexterity will also be evaluated.
The findings of this study may contribute to understanding the relationship between tool-related motor training and linguistic processing, particularly the interaction between motor and language systems in healthy young adults. Additionally, the study may provide evidence regarding neurophysiological changes associated with context-specific motor interventions.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Dexterous tool-use training | Experimental | Behavioral: Dexterous tool-use training |
| Dexterous manual training group without tools | Active comparator | Behavioral: Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online) |
| Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Control |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 19 to 24 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Healthy young adults aged between 19 and 24 years;
- Right-handed individuals.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Previous diagnosis of neurological and/or psychiatric disorders;
- History of traumatic brain injury;
- Use of psychoactive substances or medications that may affect cognitive functioning;
- Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dexterous tool-use trainingThe intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a functional and goal-directed context. | Behavioural | Dexterous tool-use training |
| Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online)The intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a bead-placement activity directly with their hands, without the use of tools. | Behavioural | Dexterous manual training group without tools |
| ControlParticipants allocated to the control group will not receive structured training. They will be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week study period. | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Reaction time
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Reaction time will be measured as the time elapsed between the presentation of each sentence and the participant's button press indicating whether the sentence is grammatically correct or incorrect. Mean reaction time across trials will be reported in milliseconds (ms).
Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Accuracy
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Accuracy will be assessed as the absolute number of correct responses. The absolute number of incorrect responses (errors) will also be recorded.
8 secondary outcomes
N200 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
P300 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
N200 Event-Related Potential Peak Latency
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
P300 Event-Related Potential Peak latency
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Hierarchical Embedding in Spontaneous Discourse
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Clauses per Sentence in Spontaneous Discourse
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Assessment of Syntactic Production - Left-Branching Load (Frazier Index) in Spontaneous Discourse
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
Manual dexterity
Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)
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 22 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. No plan to share individual participant data (IPD). Data will not be shared due to ethical and confidentiality considerations related to participant privacy and the terms of informed consent.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Dexterous tool-use training and Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online) in people with Young Adults, run by Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre at 1 site in Brazil.
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 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 22 Jul 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 Brazil. 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 Aline Pagnussat, PhD (+55 51 3303-8912, alinesp@ufcspa.edu.br), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Reaction time (time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)). 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 22 Jul 2026.