Influence of Fitness on Brain and Cognition

November 4, 2016 updated by: Arthur Kramer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of aerobic fitness training on human cognition, brain structure, and brain function of older adults.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Recent studies have shown the encouraging effects of fitness training on human cognition, and brain structure and function. Such effects are of great interest both for what may they tell us about the nature of cognitive and brain aging and also for their public health implications. This study will test the hypotheses that: 1) improvements in aerobic fitness of older adults will lead to improved performance on a variety of cognitive processes, and especially those processes that are supported by frontal regions of the brain; 2) improvements in cognitive processes due to enhanced aerobic fitness will be visible on fMRI scans, and will be similar to those of young adults; 3) improvements in aerobic fitness, over the course of a 1 year intervention, will result in increases in gray and white matter volume.

One hundred forty sedentary older adults will be recruited for this study. Participants will be randomized to an aerobic exercise intervention group, or to a stretching and toning control group. Aerobic exercise sessions will be conducted three times a week for one year, beginning at a light to moderate intensity level over the first two months and progressing to a moderate to high level for the remainder of the year. The control group will meet on the same basis as the intervention group, and will participate in an organized program of stretching, limbering, and toning for the whole body that is specially designed for individuals 60 years of age and older.

During this time, participants will exercise, keep a daily exercise log detailing distance walked (routes will be measured and mapped for participants), time spent in aerobic activity, degree of intensity (rating of perceived exertion), general level of affect during exercise, resting and exercise heart rates. Participants will participate in the MRI/fMRI, physiological (cardiorespiratory) and psychosocial testing prior to the beginning of the fitness training intervention, following 6 months of fitness training, and at the conclusion of the 1 year of fitness training.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

179

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

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Champaign, Illinois, United States, 61801
        • Beckman Institute, University of Illinois
      • Urbana, Illinois, United States, 61801
        • University of Illinois

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

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy adults over 60

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 60 to 75 years of age (for Sedentary Older Adults)
  • Sedentary Older Adults: no physical activity in last six months; Young Comparison Sample: Moderately active lifestyle
  • Capable of performing exercise
  • Personal physician's examination and consent to participate in testing and exercise or control intervention
  • Successful completion of graded exercise test without evidence of cardiac abnormalities or responses
  • Adequate performance on the Pfeiffer (1979) Mental Status measure - Corrected (near and far) vision 20/40 or better
  • Right-handed
  • Intention to remain in the local area over the study period

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Sedentary Older Adults: self reported physical activity on regular basis (2 times or more per week) in last six months; Young Comparison Sample: sedentary or highly active/athletic lifestyle
  • Any physical disability that prohibits mobility (walking), stretching etc.
  • Depression score on GDS indicative of clinical depression
  • Presence of any implanted devices such as cardiac pacemakers or autodefibrillators; neural pacemakers, aneurysm clips in the CNS; cochlear implants; metallic bodies in the eye or CNS; any form of wires or metal devices that concentrate radiofrequency fields
  • Left-handed
  • Individuals with chronic inflammation (e.g. severe arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, polyneuropathies, Lupus)
  • Intent to move or take an extended vacation (i.e. longer than 1 month during the study period)

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
group 1
Intervention Group- aerobic exercise
Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise
One hour per day three times a week for one year
group 2
Control Group- stretching and toning
Behavioral: Stretching and toning
One hour per day three times a week for one year

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Behavioral measures
Time Frame: baseline, 6 and 12 months
baseline, 6 and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
fMRI
Time Frame: baseline, 6 and 12 months
baseline, 6 and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Art Kramer, PhD, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

April 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 21, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 21, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

February 22, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 8, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 4, 2016

Last Verified

November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IA0102
  • 5R37AG025667-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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