Lion Tracks EEG Pilot: Understand Cognitive Responses to CrossFit in Mother-Child Dyads

NCT07677345 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00029189
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine how participating in exercise together versus separately influences brain function, cognitive performance, mood, and parent-child connection in mother-child dyads. Mothers and their children will complete two fitness class visits at a participating community fitness facility/CrossFit affiliate. During one visit, mothers and children will exercise in separate age-appropriate classes, and during the other visit they will exercise together in a shared class. Before and after each exercise session, participants will complete brief assessments of cognition, mood, and brain activity using a portable electroencephalography (EEG) device. Findings from this pilot study will help determine the feasibility of conducting community-based neuroscience research and may inform future family-centered physical activity programs designed to support brain, emotional, and social health.

Conditions

Cognition

Keywords

Mother-Child Dyads; CrossFit; Brain Health; Family-Based Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Feasibility of Community-Based EEG Assessment

  Feasibility will be evaluated through recruitment, retention, session completion, questionnaire completion, cognitive task completion, and acquisition of usable EEG recordings using the EMOTIV EPOC X portable electroencephalography system. Data quality will be assessed by the proportion of participants providing analyzable EEG and cognitive data.

  Throughout study completion (approximately 2 study visits over 1-2 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Cognitive Performance (Symbol Search Task)

  Pre- and post-exercise during each study visit (approximately 60 minutes)

• Positive and Negative Affect

  Immediately before and after each exercise session (approximately 60 minutes)

• Parent-Child Connectedness

  Immediately following each exercise condition

• Exercise Enjoyment

  Immediately following each exercise condition

• Neurophysiological Activity

  Immediately before and after each exercise session (approximately 60 minutes)

Study Arms (2)

Shared Exercise Session

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to this condition will complete a mother-child exercise session together at a participating community fitness facility/CrossFit affiliate. The session will consist of approximately 60 minutes of instructor-led functional fitness activities, including a warm-up, skill or strength-based exercises, conditioning activities, and cool-down. Mothers and children will participate alongside one another throughout the session. Cognitive performance, mood, and brain activity will be assessed immediately before and after the exercise session using brief computerized tasks, questionnaires, and portable electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will complete this condition once during the study.

Behavioral: Family-Based Functional Fitness Exercise

Separate Exercise Session

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants assigned to this condition will complete exercise sessions in separate age-appropriate classes at a participating community fitness facility/CrossFit affiliate. Mothers will participate in an adult functional fitness class, while children will participate in a youth fitness class occurring concurrently. Sessions will last approximately 60 minutes and will include instructor-led warm-up, skill or strength-based exercises, conditioning activities, and cool-down. Mothers and children will exercise independently and will not participate in the same class activities during this condition. Cognitive performance, mood, and brain activity will be assessed immediately before and after the exercise session using brief computerized tasks, questionnaires, and portable electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will complete this condition once during the study.

Behavioral: Independent Functional Fitness Exercise

Interventions

Family-Based Functional Fitness Exercise BEHAVIORAL

A supervised mother-child functional fitness exercise session conducted in a community fitness setting. Mothers and children participate together in approximately 60 minutes of age-appropriate exercise activities.

Shared Exercise Session

Independent Functional Fitness Exercise BEHAVIORAL

Participants will complete an approximately 60-minute functional fitness exercise session in a community fitness setting. Mothers will participate in an instructor-led adult fitness class while children simultaneously participate in an age-appropriate youth fitness class. Sessions may include warm-up activities, movement skill instruction, strength or conditioning exercises, games, and cool-down activities. Mothers and children will exercise separately throughout the session and will not participate in the same class activities. This condition is designed to examine the effects of exercise performed independently compared with exercise performed together as a mother-child dyad.

Separate Exercise Session

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Individuals who self-identify as women and serve as a parent, guardian, or primary female caregiver of an eligible child are eligible to participate in the adult participant role. Children of any gender identity are eligible to participate.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adult participant is a mother or female primary caregiver aged 18 years or older.
• Child participant is at least 3 years of age.
• Mother and child are willing to participate together as a dyad.
• Mother and child are able to understand and speak English.
• Mother and child are willing to attend two study visits at a participating community fitness facility.
• Mother and child are able to safely participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as determined by health screening procedures.
• Mother is willing to provide informed consent and child is willing to provide assent when appropriate.

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy at the time of participation.
• Any cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, neurological, musculoskeletal, or other medical condition that would make exercise unsafe.
• Current injury or physical limitation preventing participation in exercise.
• History of seizure disorder or other condition that may interfere with EEG assessment.
• Inability to complete study procedures or wear EEG equipment. \*Child\*
• Medical condition, injury, or physical limitation that would make participation in exercise unsafe.
• Neurological condition or developmental disorder that would prevent completion of study procedures, as determined by the parent and study team.
• History of seizure disorder or other condition that may interfere with EEG assessment.
• Inability to tolerate wearing the EEG headset or complete study procedures. \*Dyad\*
• Either the mother or child is unable or unwilling to complete both study visits.
• Either participant has a contraindication to exercise identified during screening.
• Either participant has a condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would make participation unsafe or compromise data quality.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Penn State University: lead

Study Officials

• Janette Watkins, PhD

  The Pennsylvania State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Janette Watkins Dr, PhD

CONTACT

502-321-9683; jjw7102@psu.edu

Study Design

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

Model Details: Mother-child dyads will complete two exercise conditions in a within-subject crossover design. During one visit, mothers and children will participate in a shared exercise session. During a second visit, mothers and children will participate in separate age-appropriate exercise sessions. The order of conditions will be randomized and counterbalanced across participants. Cognitive, emotional, and neurophysiological outcomes will be assessed before and after each exercise session.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 24, 2026
• First Posted: June 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2028
• Last Updated: July 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share