Can sound and touch boost brain training for kids with cerebral palsy?
NCT ID NCT07369193
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study explores whether adding sound and touch to a standard movement-observation therapy can better activate the brain's mirror neuron system in children with cerebral palsy. Twenty kids with CP and 20 typically developing peers, aged 7-25, will watch videos of actions while their brain activity is measured with EEG. Some sessions include sounds and haptic gloves that provide tactile feedback, while others are just visual. The goal is to see if the multisensory version leads to stronger brain responses, which could eventually improve rehabilitation outcomes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- multisensory action observation treatment (AOT) with haptic gloves and auditory stimuli
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more effective rehabilitation technique for children with cerebral palsy by enhancing brain activation through multiple senses.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with only 40 participants, so results may not apply widely. It measures brain activity, not long-term functional improvement, so real-world benefits remain uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
For this study, 20 children, adolescents, and young adults with typical development will be recruited (community sample), toghether with 20 children and adolescents diagnosed with CP (recruit at the IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris).
- Ages
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7 to 25 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Study Group: Inclusion Criteria: * Confirmed diagnosis of cerebral palsy, documented by clinical history and instrumental examinations; * Age between 7 and 25 years at the time of recruitment; * At least one verbal or nonverbal intellectual functioning index \>= 70, to ensure understanding and compliance with the tasks required. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe sensory disorders that compromise the feasibility of the study; * Neuropsychiatric comorbidity that precludes participation in the study. Control group: Inclusion Criteria * Age between 7 and 25 years at the time of recruitment; * Absence of intellectual disability, assessed through age-appropriate versions of the Raven's Progressive Matrices (Coloured Progressive Matrices for children up to 11 years; Standard Progressive Matrices for participants aged 12 years and older), yielding scores within the normative range and used to estimate non-verbal fluid intelligence; * Age-appropriate academic performance with no reports of significant learning difficulties, as verified through parental interview; * Absence of known neurological or psychiatric disorders, confirmed through parental interview; * Absence of motor impairments, defined as scoring above the 25th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris
RECRUITINGCalambrone, Pisa, 56128, Italy
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Biofeedback may unlock stronger muscles in children with cerebral palsy
- Can targeted exercise programs improve balance in children with cerebral palsy?
- Mind over muscle: can imagined practice boost real shooting?
- A virtual Egg-Carrying game may reveal how well children control their hands
- Robot playmate + VR games: a new way to boost arm strength in kids with cerebral palsy?