Daily Fluctuations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognition: Effects of Vigorous Exercise

February 4, 2026 updated by: University of Padova

Daily Fluctuations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognitive Performance: Effects of Acute Physical Exercise

Cognitive functions are fundamental to everyday life, underpinning the mental processes required to perform any activity. Recent studies have shown that improved cognitive performance is associated with elevated levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can be increased through an acute bout of physical activity. However, daily variations of BDNF serum and plasma remain poorly characterised and are not fully understood, and their correlation with daily variations in cognitive performance has not been previously explored. This study examines:

1) the correlation between daily BDNF fluctuations and cognitive performance. 2) whether a single session of exercise can elevate BDNF levels and lead to measurable cognitive improvements.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
15

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • PD
      • Padua, PD, Italy, 10034
        • Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • an age between 18-40 years old
  • no history of mental or physical diseases (of a neurological, psychogenic, musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory or systemic nature)
  • MoCA score higher than 26

Exclusion Criteria:

  • smokers
  • individuals experiencing sleep-wake cycle disturbances in the week prior to the study
  • consumers of medications with CNS effects

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: BDNF arm
Every subject will be tested on day 1 and day 2 with the same protocol. Blood samples will be collected at five time points throughout the workday: 09:00 (T1), 11:00 (T2), 13:00 (T3), 15:00 (T4), and 17:00 (T5), to assess potential diurnal variations in BDNF. Cognitive performance will be evaluated using the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), the Flanker task, and the Digit Span Backwards test at T1, T3, and T5. On the second intervention day, the same protocol will be followed, with the addition of a 15-minute single bout of high-intensity physical activity executed at T4.
Other: Exercise
A five-minute bout of exercise at high intensity (75% of HRmax) repeated for two rounds with a minute rest between rounds. The bout consists of 5 exercises: BW squat, jumping jacks, lunges, crunches and step up. The modality is, in one minute for every exercise, 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Levels of Serum BDNF (ng/ml)
Time Frame: blood samples were collected on day one and day two at five specific time points: 9 a.m. (t1), 11 a.m. (t2), 1 p.m. (t3), 3 p.m. (t4), 5 p.m. (t5)
Blood samples for serum BDNF concentration analysis were collected using a Clot Activator Tube (CAT) and gently swirled ten times, upside down. They were then incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow clot formation. Subsequently, the samples were centrifuged at 1100 g and 4 °C for 10 minutes, and then, the serum was collected, aliquoted, and stored at -80 °C. The analysis of BDNF was performed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, following the manufacturer's instructions (ab212166 - Human BDNF SimpleStep ELISA Kit).
blood samples were collected on day one and day two at five specific time points: 9 a.m. (t1), 11 a.m. (t2), 1 p.m. (t3), 3 p.m. (t4), 5 p.m. (t5)
inhibitory control
Time Frame: The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)
Inhibitory control was assessed with the Flanker Task. During the task, participants are required to indicate the left-right orientation of a centrally presented stimulus while inhibiting attention to the potentially incongruent stimuli surrounding it (e.g., flankers on either side). The principal outcomes for this task are total errors, the mean reaction time for incongruent and congruent stimuli, and the conflict cost (the difference between the mean reaction times for incongruent and congruent stimuli)
The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)
sustained attention and vigilance
Time Frame: The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)
Sustained attention and vigilance were assessed with the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Participants are presented with a visual stimulus (a simple light) that appears at random inter-stimulus intervals (between 2 and 10 seconds). When the stimulus appears, the participants are required to respond as quickly as possible. The primary outcome for this test is the mean reaction time
The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)
working memory (short-term memory)
Time Frame: The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)
Working memory was assessed with the Digit Span Backwards, in which participants are presented with a series of digits and then asked to recall them in reverse order. The main outcome for this test is the memory span.
The test was performed for each participant on day one and two at three predefined time points 9 a.m. (t1), 1 p.m. (t3), 5 p.m. (t5)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Padova

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Antonio Paoli, University of Padua Department of Biomedical Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 23, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DAILYBDNF

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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