Clinical Trial: DCD Imaging-Intervention Study

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Developmental Coordination Disorder: Integrating Brain Imaging and Rehabilitation to Improve Outcomes

Brief Summary: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects 5-6% of the school-age population, equating to ~400,000 children, or 1-2 students in every Canadian classroom. Children with DCD find it hard to learn motor skills and perform everyday activities, such as getting dressed, tying shoelaces, using utensils, printing, riding a bicycle, or playing sports. Researchers and clinicians do not know what causes DCD or why children with DCD struggle to learn motor skills. Using MRI, this study will increase understanding of how the brain differs in children with/without DCD and determine if rehabilitation can change the brain and improve outcomes of children with the disorder.

Detailed Summary:

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES

The proposed study proposed is designed to test the overall hypothesis that, compared to typically-developing children, children with DCD (+/- ADHD) will show differences in brain structure and function, and that rehabilitation will be associated with brain differences that reflect improvement of motor function. The investigators will address three specific objectives:

Objective 1: To characterize structural and functional brain differences in children with DCD and typically-developing children.

Hypothesis: Compared to typically-developing children, the investigators expect that children with DCD will show smaller cerebellar volume, differences in microstructural development in motor, sensory and cerebellar pathways, decreased strength of connectivity in resting, default mode, and motor networks. Children with DCD+ADHD will show poorer function in frontal and parietal areas compared to children with DCD (Langevin et al., 2014).

Approach: The investigators will use magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and advanced MR techniques to characterize brain structure and function; the investigators will use morphometry to measure cerebral and cerebellar volumes, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess microstructural development, functional connectivity MRI to measure connectivity in different brain networks, and fMRI to explore patterns of brain activation during a mental rotation task.

Objective 2: To determine if current best-practice rehabilitation intervention induces neuroplastic changes in brain structure/function and positive outcomes in children with DCD.

Hypotheses: Compared to children in the w
Sponsor: University of British Columbia

Current Primary Outcome:

• Canadian Occupational Performance Measure [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  Children will rate performance and satisfaction (10 point Likert scale) of their three motor goals
• diffusion tensor imaging [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  fractional anisotropy and diffusivity (mean, axial, and radial)

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

• Bruininks Osteretsky Test of Motor Proficiency [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  standardized assessment of motor skills
• Performance Quality Rating Scale [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  qualitative observations of movement quality
• functional connectivity [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  spatial independent components analysis of resting state networks
• functional magnetic resonance imaging [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  patterns of brain activation during mental rotation task
• morphometry [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  white matter, cortical gray matter, deep gray matter, and total volumes for cerebrum and cerebellum

Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: University of British Columbia

Dates:
Date Received: October 19, 2015
Date Started: September 2014
Date Completion: December 2017
Last Updated: May 24, 2016
Last Verified: May 2016