Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07718698

Effects of Tool Handling on Language Processing

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effects of a context-specific tool-handling intervention on linguistic processing in healthy young adults. Participants will be allocated into three groups: a dexterous tool-use training group, a dexterous manual training group without tools, and a Control group.

The dexterous tool-use training group will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a specific functional context. The intervention requires sequential motor planning, force control, precision, and goal-directed tool use. The dexterous manual training group without tools will perform a similar bead-placement activity without tool use, involving direct hand manipulation and lower task complexity. Both intervention groups will participate in synchronous online sessions via Google Meet for 20 minutes per day, five times per week, over a two-week period.

The Control group will not receive any structured intervention and will instead be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week period.

Linguistic processing will be assessed through a sentence judgment task involving sentences with and without semantic violations, in which participants will classify the sentences as correct or incorrect while electroencephalographic activity (EEG) is recorded. Additionally, sleep quality and manual dexterity will also be evaluated.

The findings of this study may contribute to understanding the relationship between tool-related motor training and linguistic processing, particularly the interaction between motor and language systems in healthy young adults. Additionally, the study may provide evidence regarding neurophysiological changes associated with context-specific motor interventions.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Young Adults Behavior Communication Language

Age range

19 year–24 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy young adults aged between 19 and 24 years;
  • Right-handed individuals.

Exclusion criteria

  • Previous diagnosis of neurological and/or psychiatric disorders;
  • History of traumatic brain injury;
  • Use of psychoactive substances or medications that may affect cognitive functioning;
  • Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy.

Treatment and study plan

Dexterous tool-use training

Behavioral

The intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a task-oriented activity involving the use of tweezers to place colored beads into a mandala within a functional and goal-directed context.

Dexterous manual training group without tools (Online)

Behavioral

The intervention will be supervised by a researcher through assynchronous way. Participants will perform a bead-placement activity directly with their hands, without the use of tools.

Control

Behavioral

Participants allocated to the control group will not receive structured training. They will be instructed to perform one activity of daily living using the non-dominant upper limb once per day during the two-week study period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Reaction time

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Reaction time will be measured as the time elapsed between the presentation of each sentence and the participant's button press indicating whether the sentence is grammatically correct or incorrect. Mean reaction time across trials will be reported in milliseconds (ms).

  2. Assessment of Synthatic Processing Performance - Accuracy

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Linguistic processing will be evaluated through a computerized sentence judgment task composed of 60 sentences containing grammatical agreement violations and control sentences. Accuracy will be assessed as the absolute number of correct responses. The absolute number of incorrect responses (errors) will also be recorded.

Secondary outcomes

  1. N200 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The mean amplitude of the N200 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.

  2. P300 Event-Related Potential Mean Amplitude

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The mean amplitude of the P300 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.

  3. N200 Event-Related Potential Peak Latency

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The peak latency of the N200 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.

  4. P300 Event-Related Potential Peak latency

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Event-related potentials (ERPs) will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) during a computerized linguistic judgment task involving sentences with and without gender and number agreement violations. The peaky latency of the P300 component will be measured within the predefined time window and electrodes of interest.

  5. Assessment of Syntactic Production - Hierarchical Embedding in Spontaneous Discourse

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Syntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Hierarchical embedding will be quantified as an index of syntactic complexity.

  6. Assessment of Syntactic Production - Clauses per Sentence in Spontaneous Discourse

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Syntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Clauses per sentence will be calculated as a measure of syntactic complexity.

  7. Assessment of Syntactic Production - Left-Branching Load (Frazier Index) in Spontaneous Discourse

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    SSyntactic production will be assessed through a spontaneous discourse task using the "Picnic Scene" from the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Speech samples will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the NILC-Metrix platform. Left-branching load will be quantified using the Frazier Index.

  8. Manual dexterity

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Manual dexterity, visuomotor coordination, and executive functioning will be assessed using the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT). Participants will insert grooved pegs into a board as quickly as possible using both dominant and non-dominant hands. Completion time (in seconds) will be recorded for each hand.

Other outcomes

  1. Assessment of Sleep Quality

    Time frame: Change from PRE assessment (up to 1 week before intervention) to POST assessment (up to 1 week after intervention completion)

    Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The questionnaire evaluates subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Total scores range from 0 to 21, with scores above 5 indicating poor sleep quality.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Aline Pagnussat, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+55 51 3303-8912

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Analysis of the Effect of a Tool-Handling Intervention in a Specific Context on the Linguistic Processing of Healthy Young Adults

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 22, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 22, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.