The Effect of Reducing Total Volume of Sprint Exercise on Circulating Levels of BDNF

NCT06069427 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 14395
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 13
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Regular exercise is well known to be required for good physical health, but exercise can also improve mental health. Although the effects of exercise on mental health have been shown in many studies, it remains unclear how exercise improves mental health. In recent years, the potential role of a specific protein called 'brain-derived neurotrophic factor' (BDNF) has received increasing attention. Higher levels of BDNF in the blood are associated with better cognitive performance, attention, and spatial memory. Conversely, low levels of BDNF in the blood are found in patients with depression, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. BDNF can be released during exercise, with greater increases after exercise performed at higher intensities. For example, classic sprint interval training (SIT), which involves four 30-second 'all-out' cycle sprints, has been shown to lead to greater increases in BDNF compared to moderate or vigorous exercise. Although these results suggest that SIT is an effective way to increase BDNF, SIT is not generally considered feasible for patients or untrained members of the general public, because it is a very tiring type of exercise. However, other more manageable protocols have been developed, such as the 'reduced-exertion, high-intensity interval training' (REHIT) protocol, which involves two 20-second 'all-out' sprints within a 10-minute low-intensity exercise session. Although it is clear that BDNF levels increase in an intensity-dependent manner in response to exercise, the effect of exercise volume remains unknown. Exercise intensity is identical for SIT and REHIT, but if BDNF levels increase to a similar extent in response to both protocols, REHIT would constitute a more feasible intervention for use in patients and the general public. The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of REHIT vs. classic SIT on levels of BDNF in the blood. For this,15 study participants will be recruited, who will each complete a SIT session, a REHIT session, and a no-exercise control session. Levels of BDNF will be measured in blood samples taken at rest, as well as directly after exercise, 30 minutes after exercise, and 90 minutes after exercise. It will be determined whether the greater amount of sprint exercise in a SIT session will be associated with a greater increase in levels of BDNF in the blood compared to the REHIT session which consists of a lower amount of sprint exercise.

Conditions

Mental Health Wellness 1

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of BDNF

  Plasma levels of the protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) will be measured pre-exercise, directly post-exercise, and 30 and 90 minutes post-exercise. The area-under-the-curve for plasma BDNF will be calculated. Differences in AUC between the 3 trails will be determined.

  Pre-exercise, directly post-exercise, and 30 and 90 minutes post-exercise

Interventions

Sprint interval training (SIT) BEHAVIORAL

The SIT protocol consists of 4 repeated 30-second, 'all-out' cycle sprints against a resistance equivalent to 7.5% of body mass on a stationary bicycle. The first sprint will be preceded by a 4-minute warm-up consisting of unloaded pedalling. Each sprint will be followed by 4 minutes of unloaded pedalling.

Reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT BEHAVIORAL

The REHIT protocol consists of 2 repeated 20-second, 'all-out' cycle sprints against a resistance equivalent to 7.5% of body mass on a stationary bicycle. The first sprint will be preceded by a 2-minute warm-up consisting of unloaded pedalling. The first sprint will be followed by 3 minutes of unloaded pedalling, and the second sprint will be followed by 4 minutes of unloaded pedalling.

No-exercise control (CON) BEHAVIORAL

The control condition will involve seated rest for a period equivalent to the other interventions.

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Apparently health young male volunteers

You may not qualify if:

• Age \<18 y or \>40 y
• BMI \> 35 kg/m2
• participation in a structured exercise training programme at any time in the preceding 6 months
• suffering from acute (e.g., common cold, Covid-19, flu, etc) or chronic disease (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc)
• answering 'yes' to one or more questions of a standard physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q)
• resting heart rate ≥100 bpm
• clinically significant hypertension (\>140/90 mm Hg)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Stirling: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Stirling

Stirling, Midlothian, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom

Location

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

• Niels Vollaard, PhD

  University of Stirling

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Due to the nature of the interventions (exercise), masking is not possible.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Model Details: Participants will each undergo 3 trials in a randomised order.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2023
• First Posted: October 5, 2023
• Study Start: November 15, 2023
• Primary Completion: July 30, 2024
• Study Completion: December 31, 2024
• Last Updated: March 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)