Examining the Impact of Exercise Training on Vascular Dysfunction in Individuals With Mental Health Disorders - Study 3

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of various forms of exercise training on 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: Behavioral: Muscular Strength Training Group; Behavioral: Muscular Fitness Training Group

Detailed Description

Study #3 is made up of five sessions done on five separate days and the entire study can be completed in as little as 14 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. also include two additional testing days (Visits 5 and 6) that are identical to Visits #2 and #3, two visits to test endurance or strength prior to and after the exercise training (Visit 4 and 7), and ten weeks of exercise training (done 3-5 days per week). The exercise training will include one of two weight lifting programs that differ based on the amount of weight lifted (heavy vs moderate weight).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 240
• 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: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Muscular Strength; Participants will complete study 1 (HM20020955-1) and then 10 weeks of resistance training for muscular strength	Behavioral: Muscular Strength Training Group; Week 1 3 days/week Bench Press - 1 set at 80% of one repetition maximum (1RM) Bent Over Row - 1 set at 80% 1RM Back Squat - 1 set at 80% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 1 set at 80% 1RM Week 2 3 days/week Bench Press - 2 sets at 80% 1RM Bent Over Row - 2 sets at 80% 1RM Back Squat - 2 sets at 80% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 2 sets at 80% 1RM Weeks 3-10 3 days/week Bench Press - 3 sets at 80% 1RM Bent Over Row - 3 sets at 80% 1RM Back Squat - 3 sets at 80% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets at 80% 1RM
Experimental: Muscular fitness; Participants will complete study 1 (HM20020955-1) and then 10 weeks of resistance training for muscular fitness	Behavioral: Muscular Fitness Training Group; Week 1 3 days/week Bench Press - 1 set at 65% 1RM Bent Over Row - 1 set at 65% 1RM Back Squat - 1 set at 65% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 1 set at 65% 1RM Week 2 3 days/week Bench Press - 2 sets at 65% 1RM Bent Over Row - 2 sets at 65% 1RM Back Squat - 2 sets at 65% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 2 sets at 65% 1RM Weeks 3-10 3 days/week Bench Press - 3 sets at 65% 1RM Bent Over Row - 3 sets at 65% 1RM Back Squat - 3 sets at 65% 1RM Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets at 65% 1RM

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 14 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 14 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 14 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): January 24, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2024

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): August 4, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2023
• Last Verified: August 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PTSD; cardiovascular disease; vascular function; GAD; Oxidant
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Atherosclerosis; Vascular Diseases; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Peripheral Vascular Diseases; Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: HM20020955-3

Drug and device information, study documents

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