The Link Between Physical Activity and Brain Health in Healthy Adults

Technical University of Madrid60 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and brain health from a multiscale approach (neuropsychology, neuroimaging, peripheral biomarkers and genetics) in former athletes and sedentary individuals. The main question it aims to answer is: Do former athletes have better brain structure than sedentary people? Evaluating the differences in neurodegenerative processes between competitive training and sedentary and inactivity.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease Inactivity Preventive Therapy

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 40 YearsMax age: 75 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Group A: ex-athletes and continue to perform regular physical exercise (minimum 3 days/week of moderate-vigorous intensity). * Group B: sedentary individuals, (i.e., perform \<150 min of moderate intensity exercise per week or IPAQ score\<600 MET min/week). * In both groups (A and B) the conditions of physical exercise or sedentary lifestyle must have been maintained for at least 6 months prior to the evaluations. * Not having a history of neurological or psychiatric disorder or suffering from a serious medical condition Exclusion Criteria: * Medical conditions that have a high risk of associated cognitive symptoms. * Severe head injury with loss of consciousness within the previous 5 years. * Alcoholism (\>3 alcoholic drinks per day). * Chronic use of anxiolytics, neuroleptics, narcotics, anticonvulsants, or sedative hypnotics. * Hearing or visual impairment that would preclude testing * History of neurological disease with clinically relevant impact on cognition (e.g. cerebrovascular disease). * Incidental structural brain findings with impact on cognitive impairment or survival (e.g., malignant brain tumor). * Presence of severe systemic disease (e.g., cancer under treatment). * Consumption of anabolic substances. * Problems understanding spoken or written Spanish. * Those with pacemakers or metallic implants that may interfere with the MRI.

Locations (1)

Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INEF)

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

RECRUITING

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in plasma (pg/mL)

Measured with ELISA kit (e.g., R\&D Systems, Cat. #DY248). Higher BDNF reflects greater neurotrophic support.

Time frame: Baseline

Concentration of total tau protein in plasma (pg/mL)

Assayed by high-sensitivity ELISA (e.g., Cusabio, Cat. #CSB-E13913h). Greater tau concentration indicates increased axonal injury or neurodegeneration.

Time frame: Baseline

Hippocampal volume measured by high-resolution 3 T T1-weighted MRI (mm³)

Volume extracted with FreeSurfer; Larger values indicate greater hippocampal integrity

Time frame: Baseline

Resting-state functional connectivity between primary motor cortex and supplementary motor area measured by 3 T fMRI (Fisher-Z)

Fisher-Z transformed correlation computed with CONN; Higher values indicate stronger connectivity

Time frame: Baseline

Digit Span Forward maximum span length (digits)

Attention assessed with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Digit Span Forward subtest; Maximum correctly repeated digit sequence recorded. Higher scores indicate better attention/short-term memory capacity.

Time frame: Baseline

Trail Making Test Part A completion time (seconds)

Visual attention and processing speed measured by TMT-A; time to connect 25 numbers in ascending order recorded. Shorter times indicate better performance.

Time frame: Baseline

Digit Span Backward maximum span length (digits)

Working memory measured with WAIS-IV Digit Span Backward; Longest correctly repeated backward sequence recorded. Higher scores indicate better working memory.

Time frame: Baseline

Trail Making Test Part B completion time (seconds)

Executive function (set-shifting) assessed by TMT-B; Time to alternately connect numbers and letters recorded. Shorter times indicate better executive control.

Time frame: Baseline

Verbal fluency (F-A-S) total words in 60 s (count)

Phonemic fluency tested with Controlled Oral Word Association Test (letters F, A, S, 60 s each); total correct words across three letters. Higher counts indicate better executive retrieval fluency.

Time frame: Baseline

Stroop Color-Word interference score (seconds)

Inhibition assessed with Golden Stroop test; The count of completions within 45 seconds is recorded. Lower times reflect better inhibitory control.

Time frame: Baseline

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) total score (0 - 30 points)

10-minute screening of global cognition covering memory, attention, language, visuospatial, and executive domains. Values ≥ 26 are considered normal. Higher scores indicate better cognition.

Time frame: Baseline

Number of participants carrying at least one APOE ε4 allele (count of participants)

Genomic DNA isolated from EDTA whole blood; APOE genotyping by TaqMan SNP assays rs429358 and rs7412. Any ε4-containing genotype (ε2/ε4, ε3/ε4, ε4/ε4) classified as "ε4 carrier". Higher counts = higher ε4 prevalence.

Time frame: Baseline

Secondary Outcomes

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) measured by CPET with ramp protocol on treadmill (mL·kg-¹·min-¹)

Cardiopulmonary exercise test performed on treadmill using Ramp incremental ramp. Breath-by-breath gas exchange collected via metabolic cart. VO₂max defined as the highest 30-s average during the test; Higher values indicate better cardiorespiratory fitness.

Time frame: Baseline

Mean daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured by ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer over 7 days (min/day)

Device worn on non-dominant wrist 24 h/day for 7 consecutive days. Raw data (100 Hz) processed in ActiLife with 10 s epochs; Freedson adult cut-points ≥ 1 952 counts·min-¹ define MVPA. Higher values indicate greater physical activity.

Time frame: Baseline

Body mass index (BMI) calculated from weight and stadiometer-measured height (kg/m²)

Height measured to 0.1 cm with height measuring rod. Weight obtained from InBody system. BMI = weight ÷ height². Higher BMI indicates greater overall adiposity.

Time frame: Baseline

Peak force of mid-thigh-pull test measured by portable force dynamometer (N)

Participants perform two maximal isometric mid-thigh pulls on calibrated dynamometer with 60 s rest. The higher of two trials recorded as peak force. Greater values indicate stronger lower-limb strength.

Time frame: Baseline

Handgrip strength measured by grip dynamometer (kg)

Standing posture, shoulder neutral, elbow extended. Two maximal squeezes per hand with dynamometer; 30 s rest between trials. Best value used for analysis. Higher values reflect greater grip strength.

Time frame: Baseline

Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test completion time (seconds)

Participants stand up from a 45-cm chair, walk 3 m, turn, return, and sit; time recorded by timers. Two trials with 1 min rest; Shorter time retained. Lower times represent better agility.

Central Contacts

Songxin Tang

CONTACT

+34 663002621 songxin.tang@alumnos.upm.es

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Time frame: Baseline

Balance stability and speed score measured by TANITA force platform (unitless)

Balance and speed assessed on TANITA analyzer in eyes-open seated posture; Stand-up as fast as possible when signaled, repeat 3 times to get an optimal value; Manufacturer's composite stability index automatically computed (range 0-100). One 30-s trial; higher scores denote better balance.

Time frame: Baseline

Percentage body fat measured by multifrequency bioimpedance analyzer InBody system (%)

Participants barefoot, InBody 770 provides whole-body fat percentage derived from segmental impedance; Higher values denote greater adiposity.

Time frame: Baseline

Skeletal muscle mass measured by multifrequency bioimpedance analyzer InBody system (kg)

Analyzer outputs total skeletal muscle mass. Greater values indicate higher muscularity.

Time frame: Baseline

Waist circumference measured by flexible tape at midpoint between lowest rib and iliac crest (cm)

Measured at end-expiration; two readings within 1 cm averaged. Larger values indicate central adiposity.

Time frame: Baseline

Hip circumference measured by flexible tape at level of greater trochanters (cm)

Two readings averaged; used with waist girth to compute waist-to-hip ratio.

Time frame: Baseline

Serum triglycerides measured by enzymatic colorimetric assay (mg/dL)

Fasting venous blood; triglycerides quantified on chemistry analyzer with glycerol phosphate oxidase method. Higher values indicate greater dyslipidemia risk.

Time frame: Baseline

Serum total cholesterol measured by enzymatic colorimetric assay (mg/dL)

Chemistry analyzer; Cholesterol esterase/oxidase method. Higher levels indicate increased cardiovascular risk.

Time frame: Baseline

Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol measured by enzymatic assay (mg/dL)

Selective detergent method. Higher HDL is considered protective.

Time frame: Baseline

Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol calculated by Friedewald formula (mg/dL)

LDL-C = total-C - HDL-C - (triglycerides ÷ 5). Higher LDL indicates greater atherogenic risk.

Time frame: Baseline

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay (ng/mL)

Time frame: Baseline

Mean daily sedentary time measured by ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer over 7 days (min/day)

Sedentary time defined as \< 100 counts·min-¹ in vector-magnitudes; summed across valid waking wear days (≥ 10 h/day). Larger values denote more sedentary lifestyle.

Time frame: Baseline

Mean nightly sleep duration measured by ActiGraph wGT3X-BT over 7 nights (hours/night)

Sleep/wake scored with Cole-Kripke algorithm; average total sleep time across nights with ≥ 160 min valid sleep. Longer duration indicates better sleep quantity.

Time frame: Baseline

Total physical activity measured by International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Long Form (MET·min/week)

Four IPAQ domains are summed; for each activity, minutes are multiplied by the corresponding MET value and then summed. Higher values indicate greater total energy expenditure.

Time frame: Baseline

Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score measured by 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (0 - 14 points)

Each of the 14 items is scored 0 or 1 and summed (total 0-14). A score ≥ 9 is considered high adherence. Higher scores indicate greater adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

Time frame: Baseline