Neural Control of Kidney Blood Flow During Exercise in African American Adults

NCT03981640 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 16141R15HL152359-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trials is to learn if healthy young African American (AA) adults have a larger change in their kidney blood flow during exercise compared to White (W) adults. The main questions that this study aims to answer are:

• Do healthy young AA adults have a larger decrease in kidney blood flow during exercise compared to W adults?
• Do healthy young AA adults have a larger decrease in kidney blood flow during other types of stress compared to W adults? During two visits in the research lab, participants will:
• Perform a fitness test
• Perform cycling exercise while lying down
• Undergo a cold hand test
• Perform a mental math test Completing this clinical trial will help researchers to understand more about why many AA adults have heart and kidney problems, so future research can study ways to reduce the number of AA adults who have these health issues.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Exercise; Cold stress; Mental stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in renal vascular resistance during acute exercise

  For the acute exercise intervention, the percent change from pre-acute exercise to during steady-state exercise will be assessed.

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

• Change in renal vascular resistance during cold pressor test

  For the cold pressor test intervention, the percent change from pre-cold pressor test to 30-second intervals during the cold pressor test will be assessed.

  Pre-cold pressor test to after 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds of cold pressor test

• Change in renal vascular resistance during mental stress test

  For the mental stress test intervention, the percent change from pre-mental stress test to 1-minute intervals during the mental stress test will be assessed.

  Pre-mental stress test to after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes of mental stress test

Secondary Outcomes (24)

• Change in renal blood flow velocity during acute exercise

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

• Change in mean arterial blood pressure during acute exercise

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

• Change in systolic blood pressure during acute exercise

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

• Change in diastolic blood pressure during acute exercise

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

• Change in heart rate during acute exercise

  Pre-acute exercise and during steady-state exercise

Other Outcomes (4)

• Rating of perceived exertion during acute exercise

  During last 30 seconds of steady-state exercise

• Rating of hand pain during cold pressor test

  During last 30 seconds of cold pressor test

• Rating of cold perception during cold pressor test

  During last 30 seconds of cold pressor test

Study Arms (2)

African American Adults

EXPERIMENTAL

African American adults will undergo the interventions of acute exercise, a cold pressor test, and a mental stress test while beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity, mean arterial blood pressure, and heart rate are recorded.

Other: Acute exercise; Other: Cold pressor test; Other: Mental stress test

White Adults

EXPERIMENTAL

White adults will undergo the interventions of acute exercise, a cold pressor test, and a mental stress test while beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity, mean arterial blood pressure, and heart rate are recorded.

Other: Acute exercise; Other: Cold pressor test; Other: Mental stress test

Interventions

Acute exercise OTHER

Participants will lie in a semi-supine position with their feet attached to the pedals of a custom-arranged cycle ergometer. Participants' 40% heart rate reserve will be calculated, giving the target value to achieve during exercise based on appropriate resistance applied on the cycle ergometer, corresponding to a moderate exercise intensity. After a 5-minute resting baseline, participants will perform dynamic cycling exercise at steady state for up to 20 minutes. They will then stop exercising, and there will be a 5-minute recovery period. Beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity (Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure (finger photoplethysmographic cuff), and heart rate (electrocardiogram) will be recorded throughout. A rating of perceived exertion will be taken from participants during the last 30 seconds of steady-state cycling exercise.

African American Adults; White Adults

Cold pressor test OTHER

Participants will lie in a semi-supine position, and after a 3-minute resting baseline, participants will have their hand immersed in ice water for 2 minutes. This cold pressor test represents the non-exercise, physical sympathetic stressor. Participants' hand will then be removed from the ice water, followed by a 3-minute recovery period. Beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity (Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure (finger photoplethysmographic cuff), and heart rate (electrocardiogram) will be recorded throughout. Ratings of hand pain and cold perception will be taken from participants during the last 30 seconds of the cold pressor test.

African American Adults; White Adults

Mental stress test OTHER

Participants will lie in a semi-supine position, and after a 3-minute resting baseline, participants will perform a mental arithmetic task for 5 minutes. This mental stress test represents the non-exercise, psychological sympathetic stressor. Participants will be instructed to subtract a given number from a randomly selected three-digit number and verbally state their answer and continue to do so for the duration of the test. Participants will be instructed to state their answers as quickly and accurately as possible. Participants will then stop the arithmetic task, and a 3-minute recovery period will follow. Beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity (Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure (finger photoplethysmographic cuff), and heart rate (electrocardiogram) will be recorded throughout. A rating of perceived stress will be taken from participants during the last 30 seconds of the mental stress test.

African American Adults; White Adults

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Male and female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Self-report as either African American or White racial identity
• Born in United States
• Both biological parents identify as same racial identity as participant
• Recreationally active (participating in physical activity for at least 20 minutes per day, at least three times per week, but not training for competitive events)
• Fluent in English

You may not qualify if:

• Hispanic or Latino
• Females who are pregnant or lactating
• Cardiovascular or renal disease
• Hypertension (blood pressure of more than or equal to 130/80 mmHg)
• Diabetes
• Obesity (body mass index of more than or equal to 30 kg/m2)
• Smoker/Tobacco user
• Acute medical conditions
• Taking prescribed cardiovascular, antihypertensive, or renal medications

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): collaborator
• University of Massachusetts, Boston: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Massachusetts Boston

Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Stress, Psychological

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Rachel C Drew, PhD

  University of Massachusetts, Boston

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Rachel C Drew, PhD

CONTACT

617-287-4061; rachel.drew@umb.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 4, 2019
• First Posted: June 11, 2019
• Study Start: September 30, 2024
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)