Sex Differences in BDNF Study (BDNF-SD)

October 27, 2026 updated by: McMaster University

Investigation of Sex-differences the BDNF Response to Exercise

A single bout of exercise can improve cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These functions help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand how exercise improves cognitive abilities. We believe that exercise improves the brain by increasing the amount of BDNF in the blood. BDNF is very important for learning and memory. However, we still do not know if BDNF responds differently to exercise between females and males.

The purpose of this work is to characterize potential sex-differences in the circulating BDNF response to acute exercise. We will test the hypothesis that males will have greater serum and plasma BDNF responses compared to females following a maximal exercise test.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

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
        • Recruiting
        • 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

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between the ages of 18 and 35

Exclusion Criteria:

  • presence of type 2 diabetes
  • history of hypoglycaemia
  • history of concussion(s) with persistent symptoms
  • presence of major depressive disorder
  • history of cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization (i.e., heart attack, stroke)
  • presence of respiratory disease (e.g. asthma)
  • pre-existing injuries that prevent aerobic exercise participation.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: VO2peak Test

Responses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise.
Behavioral: VO2peak Test

Incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Plasma and Serum BDNF
Time Frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.

Measured via ELISA analysis of venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Platelet Count
Time Frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.

Measured from venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Blood lactate
Time Frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.

Measured from venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Oxygen uptake
Time Frame: During incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion

Breath-by-breath analysis performed via metabolic cart
During incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD)
Time Frame: At baseline and 15 and 60 minutes post-exercise.

Measured via brachial artery ultrasound
At baseline and 15 and 60 minutes post-exercise.

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)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 27, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BDNF-SD

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

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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