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Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Acute High-Intensity Exercise Effects on Brain and Cognitive Function in Older Adults

NCT07727577 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 50

Last updated 2026-08-12

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a single session of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT) affects cognitive performance and brain activity in older adults, and whether cardiorespiratory fitness influences these effects. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does a single HIIT session change performance on a task-switching test of cognitive flexibility?
* Does a single HIIT session change prefrontal brain activity during cognitive testing, as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)?
* Do older adults with higher cardiorespiratory fitness show greater cognitive and brain changes in response to HIIT than those with lower fitness?

Participants will:

* Visit the laboratory on two separate days
* Complete a sub-maximal graded exercise test during the first visit to measure cardiorespiratory fitness
* Complete a single \~30-minute HIIT cycling session during the second visit
* Complete a task-switching cognitive test before and after the HIIT session
* Have their brain activity monitored with fNIRS while completing the cognitive tests

Conditions

  • Healthy Aging
  • Cognitive Benefits
  • Cardio Respiratory Fitness
  • Brain Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

High-Intensity Interval Training

A single session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) performed on a cycle ergometer, consisting of 4 bouts of 4 minutes of high-intensity cycling separated by 3 minutes of passive or light active recovery (total exercise session approximately 30 minutes, excluding warm-up and cool-down). High exercise intensity is individually prescribed and controlled at approximately 85-90% of each participant's maximal power output and maximal heart rate, both estimated from a submaximal graded exercise test (American College of Sports Medicine submaximal cycle ergometer protocol) completed during a prior laboratory visit. During the recovery intervals, participants cycle at a light workload (30-50% of maximum power output). Participants are asked to maintain a cadence of approximately 50-60 revolutions per minute throughout. Heart rate, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and cadence are monitored and recorded every minute during the session by a trained study team member.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Tufts University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Colby-Sawyer College

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
55 Years
Max Age
79 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-09-01
Primary Completion
2027-08-01
Completion
2028-08-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07727577 on ClinicalTrials.gov