Influence of Fitness on Brain and Cognition - Full Text View

Sponsored by:	National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Information provided by:	National Institute on Aging (NIA)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00438347

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of aerobic fitness training on human cognition, brain structure, and brain function of older adults.

Condition	Intervention
Aging Cognition	Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise Behavioral: Stretching and toning

Study Type:	Observational
Study Design:	Prospective
Official Title:	Influence of Fitness on Brain and Cognition

Resource links provided by NLM:

MedlinePlus related topics: Exercise and Physical Fitness

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by National Institute on Aging (NIA):

Primary Outcome Measures:

Behavioral measures [ Time Frame: baseline, 6 and 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

fMRI [ Time Frame: baseline, 6 and 12 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Biospecimen Retention: None Retained

Biospecimen Description:

Estimated Enrollment:	140
Study Start Date:	April 2006
Estimated Study Completion Date:	November 2009

Groups/Cohorts	Assigned Interventions
1 Intervention Group	Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise One hour per day three times a week for one year
2 Control Group	Behavioral: Stretching and toning One hour per day three times a week for one year

Detailed Description:

Recent studies have shown the encouraging effects of fitness training on human cognition, and brain structure and function. Such effects are of great interest both for what may they tell us about the nature of cognitive and brain aging and also for their public health implications. This study will test the hypotheses that: 1) improvements in aerobic fitness of older adults will lead to improved performance on a variety of cognitive processes, and especially those processes that are supported by frontal regions of the brain; 2) improvements in cognitive processes due to enhanced aerobic fitness will be visible on fMRI scans, and will be similar to those of young adults; 3) improvements in aerobic fitness, over the course of a 1 year intervention, will result in increases in gray and white matter volume.

One hundred forty sedentary older adults will be recruited for this study. Participants will be randomized to an aerobic exercise intervention group, or to a stretching and toning control group. Aerobic exercise sessions will be conducted three times a week for one year, beginning at a light to moderate intensity level over the first two months and progressing to a moderate to high level for the remainder of the year. The control group will meet on the same basis as the intervention group, and will participate in an organized program of stretching, limbering, and toning for the whole body that is specially designed for individuals 60 years of age and older.

During this time, participants will exercise, keep a daily exercise log detailing distance walked (routes will be measured and mapped for participants), time spent in aerobic activity, degree of intensity (rating of perceived exertion), general level of affect during exercise, resting and exercise heart rates. Participants will participate in the MRI/fMRI, physiological (cardiorespiratory) and psychosocial testing prior to the beginning of the fitness training intervention, following 6 months of fitness training, and at the conclusion of the 1 year of fitness training.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	60 Years to 75 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	Yes
Sampling Method:	Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy adults over 60

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

60 to 75 years of age (for Sedentary Older Adults)
Sedentary Older Adults: no physical activity in last six months; Young Comparison Sample: Moderately active lifestyle
Capable of performing exercise
Personal physician's examination and consent to participate in testing and exercise or control intervention
Successful completion of graded exercise test without evidence of cardiac abnormalities or responses
Adequate performance on the Pfeiffer (1979) Mental Status measure - Corrected (near and far) vision 20/40 or better
Right-handed
Intention to remain in the local area over the study period

Exclusion Criteria:

Sedentary Older Adults: self reported physical activity on regular basis (2 times or more per week) in last six months; Young Comparison Sample:

sedentary or highly active/athletic lifestyle

Any physical disability that prohibits mobility (walking), stretching etc.
Depression score on GDS indicative of clinical depression
Presence of any implanted devices such as cardiac pacemakers or autodefibrillators; neural pacemakers, aneurysm clips in the CNS; cochlear implants; metallic bodies in the eye or CNS; any form of wires or metal devices that concentrate radiofrequency fields
Left-handed
Individuals with chronic inflammation (e.g. severe arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, polyneuropathies, Lupus)
Intent to move or take an extended vacation (i.e. longer than 1 month during the study period)

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00438347

Contacts

Contact: Art Kramer, PhD

217-244-1933

akramer@cyrus.psych.uiuc.edu

Locations

United States, Illinois
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois	Recruiting
Champaign, Illinois, United States, 61801
Principal Investigator: Art Kramer, PhD
Sub-Investigator: Neal Cohen, PhD
Sub-Investigator: Stanley Colcombe, PhD
Sub-Investigator: Edward McAuley, PhD
Sub-Investigator: Bradley Sutton, PhD
Sub-Investigator: Jeffery Woods, PhD

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

Principal Investigator:

Art Kramer, PhD

Beckman Institute, University of Illinois

More Information

Publications:

Colcombe SJ, Kramer AF, Erickson KI, Scalf P, McAuley E, Cohen NJ, Webb A, Jerome GJ, Marquez DX, Elavsky S. Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Mar 2;101(9):3316-21. Epub 2004 Feb 20.

Barnes DE, Yaffe K, Satariano WA, Tager IB. A longitudinal study of cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive function in healthy older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Apr;51(4):459-65.

Colcombe S, Kramer AF. Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study. Psychol Sci. 2003 Mar;14(2):125-30.

Colcombe SJ, Erickson KI, Raz N, Webb AG, Cohen NJ, McAuley E, Kramer AF. Aerobic fitness reduces brain tissue loss in aging humans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Feb;58(2):176-80.

Responsible Party:	Beckman Institute, University of Illinois ( Art Kramer, PhD )
Study ID Numbers:	IA0102, 5R37AG025667-02
Study First Received:	February 21, 2007
Last Updated:	August 13, 2008
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00438347 History of Changes
Health Authority:	United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Institute on Aging (NIA):

Mild Cognitive Impairment
cognition disorders
brain health

psychological aspect of aging
exercise
physical fitness

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Cognition Disorders

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on July 02, 2009