Breaking Sitting with High-intensity Interval Training for Brain Health

NCT06243016 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 239381R21AG080411-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This trial will examine whether interrupting 3.5 hours of sitting every 30 min with 6 min high intensity interval training (HIIT) breaks compared to light intensity interval training (LIIT) will improve brain health in cognitively normal older adults. This trial will test the feasibility of HIIT breaks to sitting. It will also address several important but unanswered questions: (1) Does interrupting sitting with short HIIT breaks improve frontoparietal function? (2) Can interrupting sitting with HIIT breaks improve cognitive functions?

Conditions

Aging

Keywords

High-intensity interval training; Sitting; Executive functions; Inhibitory control; Episodic memory; Event-related potentials; Functional connectivity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in task-evoked brain activity

  EEG will be used to measure event-related brain potentials including the P3b-component during an inhibitory control task.

  Immediately before intervention, 2 x during the intervention (50 min and 120 min into the intervention), and immediately after the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change in cognitive functions

  Immediately before intervention, 2 x during the intervention (50 min and 120 min into the intervention), and immediately after the intervention

• Change in cognitive functions

  Immediately before intervention and immediately after the intervention

• Change in resting stated and task evoked brain activity

  Immediately before intervention and immediately after the intervention

Study Arms (2)

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Sitting interrupted every 30 min by 6-min HIIT bouts.

Behavioral: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks to Sitting

Light-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks

SHAM COMPARATOR

Sitting interrupted every 30 min by 6-min LIIT bouts.

Behavioral: Light-Intensity Interval Training (LIIT) Breaks to Sitting

Interventions

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks to Sitting BEHAVIORAL

HIIT Breaks: a 3.5-hour sitting will be interrupted every 30 min with 6-min HIIT Breaks. During sitting participants will engage in standardized sedentary activities. Each 6-min HIIT break comprises a one-minute warm-up, followed by a 2-minute high-intensity interval, one minute rest (sitting on a cycle ergometer) followed by another 2 minutes at high intensity.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks

Light-Intensity Interval Training (LIIT) Breaks to Sitting BEHAVIORAL

LIIT Breaks: a 3.5-hour sitting will be interrupted every 30 min with 6-min LIIT Breaks. Each 6-min LIIT break comprises a one-minute warm-up, followed by a 2-minute light-intensity interval, one minute rest (sitting on a cycle ergometer) followed by another 2-minute light-intensity interval.

Light-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Breaks

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 40-75 years
• BMI \<40 kg/m2
• Sedentary (≥ 6 h/day sitting by a survey question)
• Physically inactive adults based on the CSEP-PATH: Physical Activity and Sedentayr Behaviour Questionnaire (PASB-Q) Adult (low or medium physical activity range equivalent to less than 300 min of moderate intensity physical activity per week)
• Capable of exercising vigorously based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ+)
• Has a medical clearance for maximal exercise and HIIT from a physician
• Normotensive or participant's blood pressure is controlled
• Intelligence quotient (IQ) ≥85
• Fasting plasma glucose \<126 mg/dL
• Good or corrected vision and hearing
• Right-handed
• No significant abnormalities on the ECG during the maximal exercise test
• No signs and symptoms that suggest an underlying cardiovascular disease as recorded during the maximal exercise test by a study physician.
• No indications to prematurely stop the maximal exercise test as outlined by the ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription
• Concussion if more than 12 months before the study screening.

You may not qualify if:

• Physical disability or musculoskeletal disease prohibitive to vigorous exercise
• Learning disabilities
• Cognitive impairment (MoCA \<26)
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes
• Neurological condition (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson, Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment)
• Color blindness
• Brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, concussion)
• Migraine headaches
• Presence of other health conditions that may be exacerbated by exercise
• History of heart disease
• High cholesterol not controlled by medication
• Signs and symptoms indicative of underlying cardiovascular disease
• A chronic pulmonary disease
• Emphysema
• Pulmonary embolus

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: lead
• Northeastern University: collaborator
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana, Illinois, 61801, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Pindus DM, Paluska S, So J, Wyczesany M, Ligeza TS, Sarol J, Kuang J, Quiroz FB, Shanmugam R, Syed T, Kos M, Khan N, Hillman C, Kramer A. Breaking prolonged sitting with high-intensity interval training to improve cognitive and brain health in middle-aged and older adults: a protocol for the pilot feasibility HIIT2SITLess trial. BMJ Open. 2025 May 7;15(5):e095415. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095415.

  PMID: 40341152 DERIVED

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

• Dominika M Pindus, Ph.D.

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Dominika M Pindus, Ph.D.

CONTACT

217-300-7317; pindus@illinois.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 25, 2023
• First Posted: February 5, 2024
• Study Start: May 7, 2024
• Primary Completion: July 31, 2025
• Study Completion: July 31, 2025
• Last Updated: February 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-02

Locations

US (1)