Cognitive Responses to Acute Breath-Hold Diving Training in Female Divers

May 27, 2026 updated by: Görkem Açar, Istanbul Gelisim University

Investigation of Cognitive Responses to Acute Breath-Hold Diving Training in Female Divers

This study aims to investigate the acute cognitive and physiological responses to breath-hold diving training in trained female divers. Participants will complete three separate sessions including a control session, a land-based breath-hold training session, and a water-based breath-hold training session in randomized order. Cognitive performance, mood state, heart rate responses, respiratory function, and maximal breath-hold capacity will be evaluated before and after the interventions. The study is expected to improve understanding of how acute apnea-based diving exercises influence cognitive functions and physiological adaptations under different environmental conditions.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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 (Estimated)

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.
30

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

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:

  • Licensed breath-hold or free-diving athletes
  • Aged between 18 and 30 years
  • Minimum of 5 years of training experience
  • No known cardiovascular or pulmonary disease
  • Non-smokers
  • Willing to participate voluntarily
  • Refraining from intense exercise within 24 hours before testing

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of performance-enhancing drugs or ergogenic aids
  • Presence of chronic sports injury
  • Alcohol consumption within 24 hours before testing
  • Caffeine intake within 2 hours before testing
  • Sleep deprivation or severe fatigue
  • Current medication use Fear of water or inability to complete breath-hold procedures

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover 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: Control Session
Participants will complete baseline cognitive, respiratory, mood, and maximal breath-hold assessments without structured breath-hold exercise.
Other: Control Session
Participants will undergo baseline cognitive, respiratory, mood, and physiological assessments without structured apnea or breath-hold exercise intervention.
Experimental: Land-Based Breath-Hold Training
Participants will perform land-based breath-hold exercises at 60% of individual maximal breath-hold capacity followed by post-intervention cognitive and mood assessments.
Behavioral: Land-Based Breath-Hold Training
Participants will perform structured land-based breath-hold exercises consisting of repeated apnea efforts at 60% of individual maximal breath-hold capacity with standardized rest intervals.
Experimental: Water-Based Breath-Hold Training
Participants will perform water-based breath-hold exercises in a swimming pool at 60% of individual maximal breath-hold capacity followed by post-intervention cognitive and mood assessments.
Behavioral: Water-Based Breath-Hold Training
Participants will perform structured breath-hold exercises in a swimming pool environment consisting of repeated apnea efforts at 60% of individual maximal breath-hold capacity with standardized rest intervals.

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
Working Memory Accuracy (2-Back Test)
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.
Accuracy score obtained from the computerized 2-back cognitive task.
Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.
Reaction Time During the 2-Back Test
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.
Mean reaction time recorded during correct responses in the 2-back cognitive task.
Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.
Total mood disturbance score assessed using the Brunel Mood Scale questionnaire.
Baseline and immediately after the intervention, within 5 minutes post-intervention.
Maximum Breath-Hold Duration
Time Frame: Baseline during the control session before intervention sessions.
Maximum voluntary breath-hold duration recorded during testing.
Baseline during the control session before intervention sessions.
Resting Heart Rate
Time Frame: Before each experimental session.
Resting heart rate measured before each session using a Polar heart rate monitor.
Before each experimental session.
Exercise Heart Rate Response
Time Frame: During the intervention session.
Heart rate responses recorded every 30 seconds during the breath-hold exercise protocol.
During the intervention session.

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.
Istanbul Gelisim University

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 (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
September 15, 2026

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).
May 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.
May 27, 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.
June 1, 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.
June 1, 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.
May 27, 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.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 2026/148

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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