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

Part of paid clinical trials in New London, New Hampshire.

Sponsor
Colby-Sawyer College
Study ID
NCT07727577
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

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

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
55 Years - 79 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • High-Intensity Interval Training — BEHAVIORAL
    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.

Study Details

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

Key Dates

First listed
Jul 27, 2026
Start date
Aug 1, 2026
Status verified
Jul 2026
Primary completion
Jul 1, 2027
Completion
Aug 1, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
50 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: HIIT session
    All enrolled participants complete two laboratory visits. The first visit establishes cardiorespiratory fitness via a submaximal graded exercise test and familiarizes participants with the task-switching cognitive paradigm. The second visit is the experimental session: participants complete the task-switching assessment with concurrent fNIRS brain imaging immediately before and immediately after a single bout of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Cardiorespiratory fitness is examined as a continuous moderator of pre- to post-exercise changes in cognitive and brain outcomes.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Cognitive Flexibility (Task-Switching Performance) [ Time Frame: Immediately before (pre-exercise) and immediately after (post-exercise) a single HIIT session (approximately 40-45 minutes apart). ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Colby-Sawyer CollegeNew LondonNew Hampshire03257
Kell Grandjean da Costa, PhD
[email protected]
603-526-3799

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By research site
Colby-Sawyer College· New London, NH

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