Exercise-Induced Lactate and Cognitive Function (ExLBC)

February 4, 2025 updated by: Jeremy Walsh, McMaster University

The Effect of Exercise-Induced Lactate on BDNF and Cognition

A single bout of exercise can rapidly improve cognitive functions including memory, attention, and executive functions, which help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand the mechanism behind this process. A promising candidate mechanism is lactate, which was previously considered merely a waste product of our muscles during exercise. It is now recognized as an important molecule that is used by the brain as an energy source. Studies have shown that increases in lactate during exercise are positively related to improved cognitive function after completion of exercise. Another potential mechanism involves the increase in neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following exercise. The increase in lactate and BDNF during exercise may be connected to cause these cognitive improvements.

However, because lactate increases with higher exercise intensities, we currently do not know how lactate specifically impacts brain health. To address this, muscle and blood lactate concentrations can be experimentally manipulated during exercise using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) supplementation and will allow us to explore how lactate specifically affects brain function.

The purpose of this project is to investigate the effect of exercise-induced lactate on BDNF and cognition following oral NaHCO3 supplementation in young adults. We hypothesize that BDNF levels will be higher, and cognition will be improved in executive function, visuospatial memory, and working memory in the NaHCO3 condition due to higher plasma lactate during exercise compared to placebo.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

32

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4K1
        • McMaster University
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between the ages of 18-35 years old.
  • Perform ≥150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.
  • Presence of hypoglycaemia.
  • History of concussion(s) with persistent symptoms.
  • History of mental health conditions.
  • History of cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization (e.g., heart attack).
  • Pre-existing injuries that prevent completion of aerobic exercise.
  • Presence of colour-blindness.

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: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Single dose of a placebo supplement (0.4 g/kg body weight of sodium chloride gelatin capsules).
Other: Placebo (Sodium Chloride)
Ingestion of gelatin capsules containing 0.4 g/kg body weight of sodium chloride (NaCl) followed by 90 minutes of rest. Continuous high intensity cycling to be performed following 90-minute resting measures.
Other Names:
  • Table Salt
Experimental: Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)
Single dose of sodium bicarbonate supplement (0.4 g/kg body weight of NaHCO3 gelatin capsules).
Dietary supplement: Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3)
Ingestion of gelatin capsules containing 0.4 g/kg body weight of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) followed by 90 minutes of rest. Continuous high intensity cycling to be performed following 90-minute resting measures.
Other Names:
  • Baking Soda

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Function (Executive Function)
Time Frame: 3-hour
The Stroop Task will be used to measure executive function (selective attention and inhibitory control).
3-hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Function (Working Memory)
Time Frame: 3-hour
The N-Back Test will be used to assess working memory.
3-hour
Cognitive Function (Visuospatial Memory)
Time Frame: 3-hour
The Spatial Span Test will be used to assess visuospatial memory.
3-hour
Blood Lactate
Time Frame: 3-hour
Venous blood samples will be obtained via intravenous catheter.
3-hour
Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3)
Time Frame: 3-hour
Venous blood samples will be obtained via intravenous catheter.
3-hour
Blood pH
Time Frame: 3-hour
Venous blood samples will be obtained via intravenous catheter.
3-hour
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
Time Frame: 3-hour
Serum and plasma BDNF measured in venous blood samples will be obtained via intravenous catheter.
3-hour

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

McMaster University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jeremy J Walsh, PhD, McMaster 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)

February 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 30, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 4, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 4, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 4, 2025

Last Verified

August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ExLBC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The investigators will share individual patient data (de-identified) with researchers upon request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 12 months and ending 36 months following article publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Anyone who wishes to access the data.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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