NCT05713383

The Role of Perturbed Auditory Information for Self-motion in Gait

• Status: Withdrawn
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 0 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Nebraska · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 19 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

As people walk and interact with objects such as when opening a door, their movements make sounds. It is possible that these sounds are also used as feedback to stabilize and adapt movement. There is some evidence for such a connection between the auditory and motor systems in activities of daily living, yet the empirical work is insufficient because the role of the auditory system in movement is a relatively neglected topic. The objective of this study is to address this gap. The study will also evaluate the potential for improvements in movement stability and variability by restricting or augmenting the auditory feedback from the participants' footstep sounds.

Detailed description

As people walk and interact with objects such as when opening a door, their movements make sounds. It is possible that these sounds are also used as feedback to stabilize and adapt movement. There is some evidence for such a connection between the auditory and motor systems in activities of daily living, yet the empirical work is insufficient because the role of the auditory system in movement is a relatively neglected topic. The objective of this study is to address this gap. The study will also evaluate the potential for improvements in movement stability and variability by restricting or augmenting the auditory feedback from the participants' footstep sounds. Eligibility is based on inclusion and exclusion criteria determined via a self-report questionnaire. The inclusion criteria are age and overall health status (young healthy adults, 19-35) and self-reported ability to walk comfortably for half an hour. Exclusion criteria include known hearing impairment, history of back or lower extremity injury, surgery that affects mobility, neurological disease or impairment that limits the ability to walk (Cerebral palsy). The study will randomly split the participants in a control and experimental group. Participants will perform trials in one condition only, quiet walking or control. Participants will visit the lab five times in the span of two weeks. The first and last sessions will serve for pre-post comparisons.

Conditions

• Gait

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Auditory Feedback	Sound amplification is used to accentuate participants' footsteps, while asking them to step softly so as to reduce this sound.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-01
• Primary completion: 2026-04-01
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2023-02-06
• Last updated: 2026-01-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States