Effects of Short-Term Creatine Supplementation on Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Adults

NCT07867041 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB-FY24-213
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 24
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study examined whether short-term creatine supplementation affects cognitive function in healthy young adults. Participants were randomly assigned to take either creatine monohydrate or a placebo for 10 days. Participants took 30 grams per day, divided into six 5-gram doses. Before and after the supplementation period, participants completed cognitive tests designed to assess areas such as memory, attention, reaction time, and processing speed. Participants also completed a 30-minute mentally challenging Stroop task, and brain oxygenation was measured during cognitive testing using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The purpose of the study was to determine whether 10 days of high-dose creatine supplementation improves cognitive performance compared with placebo following a mentally challenging task.

Conditions

Cognitive Function Assessment; Mental Fatigue

Keywords

Creatine Monohydrate; Cognitive Function; Mental Fatigue; Stroop Task; Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Cognitive Performance Standard Scores Assessed by Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNSVS)

  Cognitive performance was assessed using the Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNSVS) computerized neurocognitive assessment battery. Standardized scores were obtained for cognitive domains including memory, psychomotor speed, reaction time, complex attention, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, executive function, simple attention, and motor speed. Standard scores are age-normalized with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, with higher scores indicating better cognitive performance.

  Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation

• Stroop Task Performance - Reaction Time

  Mean reaction time during the Stroop cognitive task, measured in milliseconds. Reaction times will be averaged across the specified task blocks at each assessment time point.

  Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation

• Stroop Test Performance - Accuracy

  Accuracy during the Stroop cognitive task, expressed as the percentage of correctly completed trials at each assessment time point.

  Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Concentration of Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation Assessed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

  Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation

• Subjective Mental Fatigue Assessed Using a Visual Analog Scale

  During cognitive testing at baseline and after 10 days of supplementation

• Subjective Energy Assessed Using a Visual Analog Scale

  During cognitive testing at baseline and after 10 days of supplementation.

Study Arms (2)

Creatine Monohydrate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received 30 g/day of creatine monohydrate for 10 consecutive days, divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water.

Dietary Supplement: Creatine Monohydrate

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants received 30 g/day of maltodextrin placebo for 10 consecutive days, divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water.

Dietary Supplement: Maltodextrin Placebo

Interventions

Creatine Monohydrate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants consumed 30 g/day of creatine monohydrate (Creapure®; AlzChem Trostberg GmbH, Germany) for 10 consecutive days. The daily dose was divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water. Each 5-g dose was provided in an individual bag.

Creatine Monohydrate

Maltodextrin Placebo DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants consumed 30 g/day of maltodextrin (Dry Maltodextrin; Cargill, Minnesota, USA) for 10 consecutive days. The daily dose was divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water. The placebo was provided in individual bags and was similar to the creatine intervention in taste, color, texture, and appearance.

Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 years or older.
• Healthy adult.
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• History of cognitive impairment.
• Previous diagnosis of a neurological or neurophysiological condition, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy.
• History of traumatic brain injury, including concussion.
• Pre-existing kidney or liver abnormalities.
• Consumption of dietary products containing creatine within 30 days prior to the start of the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Northern Iowa: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa, 50614, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mental Fatigue

Interventions

Creatine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Fatigue; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Guanidines; Amidines; Organic Chemicals; Amino Acids; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2026
• First Posted: October 9, 2026
• Study Start: April 10, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 3, 2024
• Study Completion: December 3, 2024
• Last Updated: October 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)