Remote Ischemic Conditioning and Spinal Reflex Modulation

Conditions

• Healthy Young Adults

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 40 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Remote Ischemic Condtioning (RIC) — BEHAVIORAL
  See descriptions under arm/group descriptions. RIC is delivered for 5 intervention visits. Visits 1 is the baseline assessment visit, and visits 2-6 are RIC plus training visits.
• Sham Conditioning — BEHAVIORAL
  See descriptions under arm/group descriptions. Sham conditioning is delivered for 5 intervention visits. Visits 1 is the baseline assessment visit, and visits 2-6 are Sham plus training visits.
• Balance training — BEHAVIORAL
  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 2-6.

Study Details

Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a clinically feasible method that protects distant organs from severe injury through brief, sub lethal periods of ischemia followed by re-perfusion. Recent studies suggest that RIC, combined with training, improves muscle strength and balance in healthy adults and post-stroke survivors. While the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, RIC's neuroprotective effects - such as promoting angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and modulating glutamate and GABA synthesis - overlap with neuroplasticity processes. Evidence indicates that neuroplasticity from exercise training occurs not only in the cerebral cortex but also within the spinal cord, yet the role of spinal reflex mechanisms underlying the benefits of RIC remains under explored. Therefore, this study aims to investigate effects of RIC on spinal reflex modulation in healthy adults, both independently and combined with balance training.

Key Dates

Start date

Mar 6, 2025

Status verified

Jan 2026

Primary completion

Dec 1, 2026

Completion

Dec 1, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Remote Ischemic Conditioning (RIC)
  RIC is achieved via blood pressure cuff inflation to at least 20 mmHg above systolic blood pressure to 250 mmHg on the thigh of dominant LE. RIC involves 5 cycles of 5 minutes blood pressure cuff inflation followed by alternating 5 minutes of cuff deflation and requires 45 minutes. RIC is performed on visits 2 - 6.
• Sham Comparator: Sham conditioning
  Sham conditioning is achieved via blood pressure cuff inflation to 25 mm Hg on the thigh of the dominant LE. Sham involves 5 cycles of 5 minutes blood pressure cuff inflation followed by alternating 5 minutes of cuff deflation and requires 45 minutes. Sham conditioning is performed on visits 2-6.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in maximal H-reflex amplitude (Hmax) [ Time Frame: Baseline, Day 7 ]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Greenville, NC

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