Examining the Impact of Exercise Training on Vascular Dysfunction in Individuals With Mental Health Disorders - Study 1

The purpose of this research study is to examine the role oxidants, substances produced in the blood that can damage blood vessel function, may play in blood vessel function in healthy individuals as well as individuals with mental health disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Peripheral Vascular Diseases
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Antioxidant; Dietary supplement: Placebo

Detailed Description

Study #1 is made up of three sessions done on three separate days and the entire study can be completed in as little as two weeks. All testing sessions will take place at the Exercise Physiology Research Laboratory. Volunteers will be asked to participate in one initial testing session (Visit 1) lasting < 1 hour that will help make them more familiar with the study equipment and procedures, determine body measures (height, weight, body fat), determine the maximum strength of their forearm and calf, and require one blood draw. The following two testing sessions (Visits 2 and 3) with each session lasting between 2-3 hours that will involve multiple tests designed to determine the health of their blood vessels. For Visit #2 they will be randomly given either antioxidant pills or placebo pills to determine the effect of oxidants on blood vessel health. For Visit #3, they will be given whatever set of pills (antioxidant or placebo) that they did not receive during Visit #2.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 720
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ryan Garten, PhD; Phone Number: (804) 828-1948; Email: rsgarten@vcu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Virginia
    • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
      • Recruiting
      • Virginia Commonwealth University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• apparently healthy and free of overt cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease
• for PTSD group, a score of ≥ 33 on PCL-5 checklist
• for GAD group, a score of ≥ 10 on the GAD-7 self-report scale and < 33 on the PCL-5 checklist
• for Healthy Control group, a score of ≤ 10 on the GAD-7 self-report scale and < 33 on the PCL-5 checklist

Exclusion Criteria:

• taking medications that could influence cardiovascular function
• current smokers who have recently quit smoking
• illicit drug use or excessive alcohol consumption
• pregnant women
• significant calorie restriction or vitamin/mineral deficiencies
• limited English proficiency

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Antioxidant then Placebo; Subjects will ingest an antioxidant cocktail prior to their second visit and a placebo prior to third second visit	Dietary supplement: Antioxidant; Subjects will ingest an antioxidant cocktail containing 800 milligrams of alpha lipoic acid, 1 gram of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and 400 milligrams of vitamin E (alpha tocopherol).; Dietary supplement: Placebo; Subjects will ingest placebo (microcrystalline cellulose) pills.
Experimental: Placebo then Antioxidant; Subjects will ingest a placebo prior to their second visit and an antioxidant cocktail prior to their third visit.	Dietary supplement: Antioxidant; Subjects will ingest an antioxidant cocktail containing 800 milligrams of alpha lipoic acid, 1 gram of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and 400 milligrams of vitamin E (alpha tocopherol).; Dietary supplement: Placebo; Subjects will ingest placebo (microcrystalline cellulose) pills.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Arm Vascular Function at Rest (Flow Mediated Dilation Test)	Change in Brachial Artery Dilation from Baseline Values	Baseline to the end of the final visit, about 2 weeks
Leg Vascular Function (Passive Leg Movement Test)	Change in Leg Blood Flow Values from Baseline	Baseline to the end of the final visit, about 2 weeks
Arm Vascular Function in Response to Exercise (Handgrip Exercise Test)	Change in Brachial Artery Dilation from Baseline Values	Baseline to the end of the final visit, about 2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ryan Garten, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 23, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 24, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 4, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): June 7, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 29, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PTSD; cardiovascular disease; vascular function; GAD; Oxidant
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Vascular Diseases; Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Cardiovascular Diseases; Peripheral Vascular Diseases; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Protective Agents; Pharmacologic Actions; Chemical Actions and Uses; Biological Factors; Specialty Uses of Chemicals; Antioxidants
• Other Study ID Numbers: HM20020955-1

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No