Effects of Ritalin on Postural Stability of Old Adults

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-06-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Experimental design overview The proposed project is a prospective experimental study design. independent old adults(age 65 years old and older) who do not suffer from balance problems willing to participate in the study will be tested with well-established measuring techniques of Balance control before and 2 hours after taking of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the movement and Rehabilitation Laboratory at BGU. An automated algorithm will be used to extract standardized stabilogram-diffusion parameters from each of the COP data sets collected during quiet standing. These parameters include diffusion coefficients, critical displacement, critical time and scaling exponents for both lateral and anterior-posterior sway directions (Collins & De Luca, 1993). For each of the conditions (before and 1 hour after the use of Ritalin) in three task conditions single task; dual task (concentrating and identifying specific music); and just Listening to a relaxing music. Participants will be required to stand on the platform 10 times for 30 s. For each trial, they will be instructed to sway as little as possible.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Soroka University Medical Center
• Treatments: Methylphenidate

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 65 years old and older

• independent elderly adults

• do not suffer from balance prblems

• minimental score 24 and above

Exclusion Criteria:

• old adults who suffer from neurological disease or stroke

• old adults who suffer from psychiatric state

• old adults who suffer from orthopedic condition (1/2 a year after a fracture in the lower limb)

• old adults who suffer from heart conditions

• old adults who suffer from blindness