Effects of Genetic Variation on the Efficacy of Aerobic Exercise

NCT03670186 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: BDNF V66M Exercise Study
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 18
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigates whether, after six weeks of exercise, a genetic variant (Val66Met) in the gene that makes a molecule (BDNF) important for brain health and function, influences the beneficial effects of a further session of exercise in sedentary, healthy males. The aim of this research is to determine whether not having this genetic variant (Val66Met) provides an advantage for achieving greater exercise-induced benefits. After six consecutive weeks of exercise (high-intensity interval training (HIIT), three times per week), the effects of a further session of exercise on brain activity are studied in healthy, sedentary males with and without the BDNF genetic variant. Further, whether the BDNF genetic variant impacts the effects of six weeks of aerobic exercise on blood BDNF levels, memory and cardiorespiratory fitness is examined. This data will help to understand whether genetic factors moderate the beneficial effects of exercise. Understanding what factors influence the effectiveness of exercise training programs is essential to individualize exercise programs and maximize their positive effects on the brain and during rehabilitation following brain injuries.

Conditions

Quality of Life

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Corticospinal excitability

  Corticospinal excitability as measured by single-pulse TMS-evoked responses in a hand and forearm muscles.

  8 weeks

• Intracortical circuits

  Intracortical circuits as measured by paired-pulse TMS-evoked responses in a hand muscle

  8 weeks

• Spinal circuits

  Spinal circuits as measured by spinal Hoffman reflexes from a forearm muscle

  8 weeks

• Blood BDNF

  Serum levels of BDNF as assessed by ELISA

  8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Cathepsin B

  8 weeks

• IGF-1

  8 weeks

• VEGF

  8 weeks

• Osteocalcin

  8 weeks

• Working memory

  8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

V66V-HIIT

EXPERIMENTAL

Val/Val carriers who undergo high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for 6 weeks, 3 times per week

Behavioral: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

V66M-HIIT

EXPERIMENTAL

Val/Met carriers who undergo high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for 6 weeks, 3 times per week

Behavioral: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Interventions

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) BEHAVIORAL

Participants perform high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a cycle ergometer. The HIIT protocol consists of a 3-minute warm-up at 50W, ten 60-second high-intensity cycling intervals interspersed with 90 seconds of active recovery at 30% of their peak power output and a 2-minute cool-down at 50W for a total of 17.5 minutes.

V66M-HIIT; V66V-HIIT

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• do not engage or engage in less than or equal to 60 minutes of structured exercise per week (or two exercise sessions of 30 min/week; Heisz et al., 2017; Little et al. 2011) as per their self-report;
• must be able to engage in physical activity and thus must answer 'NO' to all questions on the Get Active Questionnaire (GAQ). If potential participants answer 'YES' to any of the GAQ questions, they are immediately deemed ineligible to partake in the research;
• must not take street drugs and medications, including alpha blockers, antibiotics, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, systemic corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, neuromuscular blocking agents, sedatives, and psychostimulants, and must have no stable or unstable medical conditions, history of neurological or psychological disorders, head injury and/or surgery, seizures or have a family history of seizures or epilepsy, experience frequent headaches, migraines and sleep deprivation as per the TMS screening form;
• must be right-handed as per the handedness questionnaire;
• must be between 18 and 30 years old.

You may not qualify if:

• engage in more than 60 minutes of structured exercise per week (or two exercise sessions of 30 min/week; Heisz et al., 2017; Little et al. 2011) as per their self-report;
• are not able to engage in physical activity and thus answer 'YES' to any of the GAQ questions;
• take street drugs and medications, including alpha blockers, antibiotics, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, systemic corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, neuromuscular blocking agents, sedatives, and psychostimulants, and must have no stable or unstable medical conditions, history of neurological or psychological disorders, head injury and/or surgery, seizures or have a family history of seizures or epilepsy, experience frequent headaches, migraines and sleep deprivation as per the TMS screening form;
• are not right-handed as per the handedness questionnaire;
• are younger than 18 years of age and older than 30 years of age.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University: lead

Study Sites (1)

McMaster University, Ivor Wynne Centre (IWC) building

Hamilton, Ontario, L8S4K1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (19)

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MeSH Terms

Interventions

High-Intensity Interval Training

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Aimee Nelson, PhD

  McMaster University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 5, 2018
• First Posted: September 13, 2018
• Study Start: February 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: December 3, 2018
• Study Completion: January 21, 2019
• Last Updated: November 20, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)