Assessing Causality of the Association Between Exercise and Neurocognitive Gains

NCT05511259 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: MOE2019-T2-1-019
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 93
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Brief Summary: The aim of this project is to examine:

1. 1.The effects of a community based square stepping exercise programme on cognitive and physical functions in older adults.
2. 2.The effects of a community based square stepping exercise programme on neuroplasticity in older adults.
3. 3.The effects of a community based square stepping exercise programme on structural and functional brain changes in older adults.
4. 4.The relationship between exercise-induced changes in neuroplasticity, structural and functional brain activations, and cognitive and physical gains in older adults.

Conditions

Aging Well

Keywords

healthy aging; older adults; cognition; exercise; neuroplasticity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

• Go-No-Go task change

  Error rate: Number of "Go" responses on "No-Go" trials.

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Stroop task colour words and colour blocks

  Average response time (reaction time) for the correct colour word incongruent trials.

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• N-Back task change

  Number of correct responses (hits)

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Trail Making Test ((TMT) change

  B:A: Divide the time taken for TMT B by TMT A

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Digit Span task change

  Maximum accurate span length for Digit Span Forward Maximum accurate span length for Digit Span Reverse

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Modified Card Sorting task change

  Total number of perseverative errors

  Baseline (week 0), mid-intervention (week 7 after session 12), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Static balance (single leg) change

  Duration required to perform single leg stance on left and right legs

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Temporal gait parameters change

  11-meter gait test to examine gait speed

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Motor learning change

  Probabilistic Serial Reaction Time Task: learning index, computed using reaction time

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Change in cortical thickness

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Change in grey matter volume

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Change in structural topography

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Change in white matter integrity

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Change in white matter connectivity

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

Other Outcomes (5)

• Subjective vitality scale change

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Heart rate variability change

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

• Falls risk change

  Baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13 after session 24)

Study Arms (2)

Exercise-Cognition

EXPERIMENTAL

Square Stepping Exercise

Other: exercise

No exercise

NO INTERVENTION

Passive control group

Interventions

exercise OTHER

Square stepping exercise

Exercise-Cognition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 55 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Older adults aged 55-80
• Sedentary, defined as exercise less than 3 times per week for 30 minutes

You may not qualify if:

• Square stepping exercise:
• Medical conditions preventing them from movement and/or exercise
• Psychiatric conditions
• Cognitive impairment of dementia
• Upper and/or lower limb injuries in the past 6 months
• History of falls in the past 6 months
• Current smokers
• Neuroimaging (all the above in addition to the following)
• Patients who have conductive, ferromagnetic, or magnet-sensitive metals implanted in head (e.g., aneurysm clip, stent).
• Implanted medical device: e.g., cardiac implants, cochlear implant, aneurysm clips, cardiac pacemaker etc.
• Non-removable metal braces or retainer (dental fillings ok).
• Permanent tattoos on head.
• Deep brain stimulators.
• Previous brain surgery or injury.
• Patient with epilepsy or any other seizure history, or immediate family history of epilepsy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Nanyang Technological University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore, Singapore

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Psychology, School of Social Sciences

Model Details: Intervention group: 3-month community based exercise program (square stepping exercise)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2022
• First Posted: August 22, 2022
• Study Start: May 10, 2022
• Primary Completion: April 4, 2023
• Study Completion: April 4, 2023
• Last Updated: May 31, 2025

Record last verified: 2022-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: 6 months after publication
• Access Criteria: Request needs to be made to the PI with clear plan for the use of data.

Locations

SG (1)