Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training in Patients With Stroke

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effects of aerobic exercise and BDNF on patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke during a computerized cognitive training.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does a moderate intensity aerobic exercise, prior to a cognitive training, allow a better performance?
2. Is it possible to exploit the timing of rehabilitation interventions to obtain greater effects? Participants will be divided in 2 groups. The experimental group will first perform 20 minutes of pedaling as a moderate intensity aerobic exercise. It will then participate in one-hour cognitive training sessions, with the aim of training attentional, working memory and executive functions. The control group will carry out the same interventions but in reverse order.

The researchers will compare the results of the cognitive training in the two groups to verify if the order of the interventions influences the results themselves.

Conditions

• Ischemic Stroke
• Hemorrhagic Stroke

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Neuropsychological evaluation

Each participant will undergo a complete neuropsychological evaluation, both before and at the end of the clinical trial, with the aim of detecting any changes or improvements.

BIOLOGICAL

BDNF evaluation

During the first and last clinical trial session, each participant will undergo two blood samples, one before and one at the end of the ride, to check levels of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).

BEHAVIORAL

Pedaling as a moderate intensity aerobic exercise

During each session, each participant will perform 30 minutes of pedaling as a form of moderate intensity physical activity.

OTHER

Cognitive Training

During each session, each participant will carry out 60 minutes of cognitive training through specific exercises for the attentional, executive and working memory functions.

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

VO2 assessment

To determine the individual moderate intensity for each patient, a VO2 consumption assessment will be made. The examination will be carried out using an exercise bike and a mask for the calculation of metabolic oxygen consumption. The 3 MET threshold to reach in pedaling will be calculated (to define it of moderate intensity), in order to elicit the release of BDNF.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-11-12

Primary Completion

2023-05-31

Completion

2023-05-31

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations