Running Environments on Physiological Responses, Emotion, Motivation, and Attention

NCT07494552 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 102772025RT192
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how different running environments affect physiological responses, emotional regulation, exercise motivation, and attentional control in healthy college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: How do different running environments (indoor treadmill, outdoor road, and outdoor grass) affect physiological stress and recovery, such as heart rate variability, blood pressure, cortisol, and blood lactate levels? Are there differences in subjective emotional experiences, perceived recovery, and exercise motivation when running in natural versus artificial environments? Does the running environment influence post-exercise cognitive performance, specifically inhibitory control and sustained attention? Researchers will compare indoor treadmill running, outdoor road running, and outdoor grass running to see if natural environments provide greater benefits for stress relief, mood improvement, and cognitive enhancement. Participants will: Attend three separate 70-minute experimental sessions (one for each environment) with at least 48 hours between sessions. Complete baseline physiological measurements (HRV, blood pressure, saliva, and blood samples), psychological questionnaires, and computerized cognitive tasks. Complete a 30-minute moderate-intensity running session in the randomly assigned environment while wearing a heart rate monitor. Repeat the physiological measurements, psychological questionnaires, and cognitive tasks immediately and 10 minutes after the running session.

Conditions

Sport Participation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Salivary Cortisol Concentration

  Salivary cortisol concentration will be measured to evaluate the acute endocrine and physiological stress response to different running environments.

  Baseline (pre-exercise) and 20 minutes post-exercise.

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Change in Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

  Baseline (pre-exercise), immediately post-exercise, 5 minutes post-exercise, 10 minutes post-exercise, and 20 minutes post-exercise.

• Change in Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure

  Baseline (pre-exercise), immediately post-exercise, 5 minutes post-exercise, 10 minutes post-exercise, and 20 minutes post-exercise.

• Change in Blood Lactate Concentration

  Baseline (pre-exercise) and immediately post-exercise.

• Inhibitory Control Assessed by the Stroop Task: Reaction Time

  Baseline (pre-exercise) and 20 minutes post-exercise.

• Response Inhibition Assessed by the Go/No-Go Task: Reaction Time

  Baseline (pre-exercise) and 20 minutes post-exercise.

Study Arms (3)

Indoor Treadmill Running

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete a 20-minute moderate-intensity running session on a treadmill in a controlled indoor sports venue.

Other: Indoor Treadmill Running Session

Outdoor Road Running

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete a 20-minute moderate-intensity running session on a standard outdoor campus athletic track.

Other: Outdoor Road Running Session

Outdoor Grass Running

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete a 20-minute moderate-intensity running session on a natural campus lawn/grass area.

Other: Outdoor Grass Running Session

Interventions

Indoor Treadmill Running Session OTHER

20 minutes of moderate-intensity running on an indoor treadmill. Exercise intensity is monitored and controlled using heart rate devices to maintain a consistent moderate level.

Indoor Treadmill Running

Outdoor Road Running Session OTHER

20 minutes of moderate-intensity running on an outdoor athletic track (paved surface).

Outdoor Road Running

Outdoor Grass Running Session OTHER

20 minutes of moderate-intensity running on a natural grass surface.

Outdoor Grass Running

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Full-time college students aged 18 to 25 years old.
• Healthy, with no history of major cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or endocrine diseases.
• No exercise contraindications or injuries, capable of safely completing moderate-intensity running (treadmill, outdoor road, and grass running).
• No recent major life events affecting physiological or psychological status (e.g., severe insomnia, anxiety, depression, or extreme fatigue).
• No use of medications or supplements affecting heart rate, blood pressure, mood, or attention within the past week.
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, capable of completing computerized cognitive tasks (e.g., Stroop, Go/No-Go, PVT).
• Able to comprehend and truthfully complete psychological scales.
• Voluntary participation and signed informed consent form.

You may not qualify if:

• Current or past diagnosis of severe cardiovascular disease (e.g., myocardial infarction, severe arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension).
• Severe respiratory disease (e.g., severe asthma, COPD) or recent acute respiratory infection within the past month.
• History of neurological disease or brain injury (e.g., epilepsy, recent concussion) affecting safety or cognitive task performance.
• Endocrine or metabolic diseases (e.g., uncontrolled thyroid disease, severe diabetes) affecting cortisol or metabolic measurements.
• Recent diagnosis or psychiatric treatment for severe psychological disorders within the past month.
• Use of drugs or supplements affecting heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, or attention within the past 7 days.
• Currently pregnant or lactating.
• Acute illness within the past 48 hours (e.g., fever, acute gastroenteritis).
• Severe bleeding tendencies, blood disorders, or contraindications to blood/saliva sampling.
• Recent substance use interference, such as heavy drinking or substance dependence within the past 2 weeks.
• Inability to meet pre-experiment control requirements (e.g., avoiding caffeine, tobacco, or heavy exercise).
• Inability to complete computerized tasks due to poor vision or lack of familiarity with keyboard/mouse.
• Acute or chronic injuries hindering the safe completion of running intervention (e.g., recent lower limb injury).
• Participation in similar HIT or environmental intervention studies within the past 3 months.
• Unable to understand research procedures or unwilling to sign the informed consent form.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shanghai University of Sport: lead

Study Sites (1)

Shanghai University of Sport

Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200438, China

Location

Study Officials

• Kun Zhu, Ph.D.

  Shanghai University of Sport

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Jiwei Chen, Ph.D.

  Shanghai University of Sport

  STUDY CHAIR

• Wenqian Du

  Shanghai University of Sport

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Xinyu Li

CONTACT

86+18380367935; 1393414434@qq.com

Shijun Jin

CONTACT

86+15670976576; 15670976576@163.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Participants will complete three experimental running sessions (indoor treadmill, outdoor road, and outdoor grass) in a randomized, counterbalanced order. A minimum washout period of 48 hours is strictly enforced between each session to eliminate carry-over effects.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2026
• First Posted: March 27, 2026
• Study Start: April 10, 2026
• Primary Completion: June 10, 2026
• Study Completion: June 10, 2026
• Last Updated: March 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

CN (1)