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Placebo Effect on Cycling Performance: Laboratory Crossover Study

NCT07748429 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2026-08-05

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study aims to determine the impact of the placebo (PLA) effect on physical and cognitive performance in a controlled laboratory setting. The study investigates how expectations and beliefs about substance intake (caffeine vs. placebo) interact with actual consumption to influence performance and physiological stress markers. Healthy adults (n = 80) will participate in four testing sessions using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Physiological stress markers (cortisol and alpha-amylase), heart rate, and performance metrics will be monitored during a standardized cycling exercise protocol. This phase provides the dense mechanistic data required to refine a mathematical model of the placebo effect, offering insights into how individual personality traits and cognitive anchoring influence psychophysiological potential.

Conditions

  • Physical Performance
  • Placebo Effect
  • Cognitive Performance

Interventions

DRUG

Caffeine (6mg/kg)

Anhydrous caffeine administered in an encapsulated form at a dosage of 6 mg per kilogram of body mass, 60 minutes before the exercise protocol.

OTHER

Placebo (Starch capsule)

Corn starch administered in an identical encapsulated form as the active caffeine, 60 minutes prior to the laboratory exercise protocol.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Poznan University of Physical Education

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jakub Malik, PhD · Poznan University of Physical Education, Department of Sports Psychology

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
30 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-10-01
Primary Completion
2028-03-31
Completion
2029-03-31

Countries

  • Poland

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 NCT07748429 on ClinicalTrials.gov