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Remote Ischemic Conditioning and Spinal Reflex Modulation in Children With Cerebral Palsy
Sponsor: East Carolina University
Summary
Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a clinically feasible intervention involving brief, sublethal periods of ischemia followed by reperfusion that has been shown to enhance motor performance, strength, and balance when combined with training in healthy adults and individuals with neurological conditions. Although RIC is thought to influence neuroplasticity through neural, metabolic, and humoral pathways, its effects on spinal-level mechanisms remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence indicates that neuroplastic adaptations occur not only at the cortical level but also within the spinal cord. Moreover, altered spinal reflex excitability is associated with spasticity, balance impairments, and functional limitations in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the role of spinal reflex modulations in response to RIC and balance training remains under expplored in this population. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of RIC combined with balance training on spinal reflex modulation in children with CP.
Official title: Effects of Remote Ischemic Conditioning (RIC) Combined With Balance Training on Spinal Reflex Modulation in Children With Cerebral Palsy
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
8 Years - 17 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
16
Start Date
2025-07-28
Completion Date
2026-12-31
Last Updated
2026-03-24
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Remote Ischemic Condtioning (RIC)
See descriptions under arm/group descriptions. RIC is delivered for 5 intervention visits. Visits 1 is the baseline assessment and training visit, and visits 2-4 are RIC plus training visits, Visit 5 is training and post assessment visit.
Sham conditioning
See descriptions under arm/group descriptions. Sham conditioning is delivered for 5 intervention visits. Visits 1 is the baseline assessment visit, visits 2-5 are training visits, and visit 5 is training and post assessment visit.
Balance training
All participants will undergo training on a balance board, learning to hold the board level within the 5- degree horizontal range. Participants perform the balance task for 15, 30-second trials per day at visits 1-5.
Locations (1)
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina, United States