Exercise and Cognition Trials

NCT02958735 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB00076336
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an acute bout of exercise may temporarily enhance cognitive function (such as memory or attention span) by measuring behavioral performance on cognitive tests, as well as expression of hormones in circulation associated with brain plasticity and stress.

Conditions

Alteration of Cognitive Function

Keywords

exercise; cognition; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; insulin-like growth factor 1; cortisol

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (41)

• visual short-term memory questionnaire

  participants are shown sets of colored squares briefly and must pick out the square that changed color after a delay, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  baseline

• visual short-term memory questionnaire

  participants are shown sets of colored squares briefly and must pick out the square that changed color after a delay, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• visual short-term memory questionnaire

  participants are shown sets of colored squares briefly and must pick out the square that changed color after a delay, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  1 hour after intervention

• visual short-term memory questionnaire

  participants are shown sets of colored squares briefly and must pick out the square that changed color after a delay, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  2 hours after intervention

• visual short-term memory questionnaire

  participants are shown sets of colored squares briefly and must pick out the square that changed color after a delay, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  24 hours after baseline

• visual long-term memory questionnaire

  participants encode images in a cover task at baseline, scored on accuracy (0-100%)

  24 hours after baseline

• verbal fluency

  participants are asked to name as many words as they can that begin with a certain letter within 1 minute, scored on number of appropriate words

  baseline

• verbal fluency

  participants are asked to name as many words as they can that begin with a certain letter within 1 minute, scored on number of appropriate words

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• verbal fluency

  participants are asked to name as many words as they can that begin with a certain letter within 1 minute, scored on number of appropriate words

  1 hour after intervention

• verbal fluency

  participants are asked to name as many words as they can that begin with a certain letter within 1 minute, scored on number of appropriate words

  2 hours after intervention

• verbal fluency

  participants are asked to name as many words as they can that begin with a certain letter within 1 minute, scored on number of appropriate words

  24 hours after baseline

• cortisol in circulation

  in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  baseline

• cortisol in circulation

  in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• cortisol in circulation

  in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  1 hour after intervention

• cortisol in circulation

  in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  2 hours after intervention

• cortisol in circulation

  in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  24 hours after baseline

• igf-1 in circulation

  insulin-like growth factor 1 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  baseline

• igf-1 in circulation

  insulin-like growth factor 1 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• igf-1 in circulation

  insulin-like growth factor 1 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  1 hour after intervention

• igf-1 in circulation

  insulin-like growth factor 1 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  2 hours after intervention

• igf-1 in circulation

  insulin-like growth factor 1 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  24 hours after baseline

• bdnf in circulation

  brain-derived neurotrophic factor in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  baseline

• bdnf in circulation

  brain-derived neurotrophic factor in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• bdnf in circulation

  brain derived neurotrophic factor in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  1 hour after intervention

• bdnf in circulation

  brain-derived neurotrophic factor in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  2 hours after intervention

• bdnf in circulation

  brain-derived neurotrophic factor in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml)

  24 hours after baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the stroop test questionnaire

  participants must identify the color of various words on the screen irrespective of their meaning, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the stroop test questionnaire

  participants must identify the color of various words on the screen irrespective of their meaning, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the stroop test questionnaire

  participants must identify the color of various words on the screen irrespective of their meaning, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  1 hour after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the stroop test questionnaire

  participants must identify the color of various words on the screen irrespective of their meaning, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  2 hours after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the stroop test questionnaire

  participants must identify the color of various words on the screen irrespective of their meaning, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  24 hours after baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the flanker task questionnaire

  participants must identify the orientation of a central arrow while ignoring those of other arrows on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the flanker task questionnaire

  participants must identify the orientation of a central arrow while ignoring those of other arrows on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the flanker task questionnaire

  participants must identify the orientation of a central arrow while ignoring those of other arrows on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  1 hour after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the flanker task questionnaire

  participants must identify the orientation of a central arrow while ignoring those of other arrows on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  2 hours after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the flanker task questionnaire

  participants must identify the orientation of a central arrow while ignoring those of other arrows on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  24 hours after baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the irrelevant capture task questionnaire

  participants must identify a set of symbols as either letters or numbers while ignoring distracting images that flash on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  baseline

• general executive functioning as assessed by the irrelevant capture task questionnaire

  participants must identify a set of symbols as either letters or numbers while ignoring distracting images that flash on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  up to 5 minutes post intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the irrelevant capture task questionnaire

  participants must identify a set of symbols as either letters or numbers while ignoring distracting images that flash on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  1 hour after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the irrelevant capture task questionnaire

  participants must identify a set of symbols as either letters or numbers while ignoring distracting images that flash on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  2 hours after intervention

• general executive functioning as assessed by the irrelevant capture task questionnaire

  participants must identify a set of symbols as either letters or numbers while ignoring distracting images that flash on the screen, scored based on accuracy (0-100%) and reaction time in milliseconds

  24 hours after baseline

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• total and regional bone mass

  baseline

• total and regional fat and fat-free mass

  baseline

• habitual activity levels

  baseline

• muscle strength

  baseline

• cardiorespiratory endurance

  baseline

Study Arms (3)

Rest

NO INTERVENTION

Participants randomly assigned to this arm rest quietly for thirty minutes instead of participating in the exercise challenge.

Mild Exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomly assigned to this arm are made to maintain a heart rate equivalent to 60% of the heart rate observed when VO2 max was achieved in the maximal stress test from the first visit.

Other: Exercise Challenge

Hard Exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomly assigned to this arm are made to maintain a heart rate equivalent to 80% of the heart rate observed when VO2 max was achieved in the maximal stress test from the first visit.

Other: Exercise Challenge

Interventions

Exercise Challenge OTHER

Participants randomized to an exercise condition will perform treadmill exercise for 30 minutes. Participants will self-select a comfortable walking speed. The treadmill grade will be adjusted to elicit and maintain the target heart rate.

Hard Exercise; Mild Exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 35 kg/m2
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• No contraindications to participation in moderate to hard intensity physical activity

You may not qualify if:

• Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse in the past year or current treatment
• Women who are pregnant or nursing
• BMI of \< 18.5 or \> 35 kg/m2
• Diabetes mellitus. Subjects will be excluded for diabetes even if controlled by medications
• Cigarette smoking in the previous 12 weeks
• Elevated blood pressure (BP) defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg
• Self-report of cardiovascular disease, cancer, renal disease, and other serious conditions that could be exacerbated by moderate intensity physical activity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johns Hopkins University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Kerry Stewart, EdD

  Johns Hopkins University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Peter Searson, PhD

  Johns Hopkins University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Howard Egeth, PhD

  Johns Hopkins University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 31, 2016
• First Posted: November 8, 2016
• Study Start: August 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: May 2, 2017
• Study Completion: May 2, 2017
• Last Updated: August 18, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)