Effects of a laboratory-based aerobic exercise intervention on brain volume and cardiovascular health markers: protocol for a randomised clinical trial
Kirk I Erickson,
Matthew F Muldoon,
Stephen B Manuck,
Anna L Marsland,
Cristina Molina Hidalgo,
Audrey M Collins,
Mary E Crisafio,
George Grove,
Thomas W Kamarck,
Chaeryon Kang,
Regina L Leckie,
Madison MacDonald,
Javier Rasero,
Mark R Scudder,
Daniel Velazquez-Diaz,
Timothy Verstynen,
Lu Wan,
Peter J Gianaros
Affiliations
Kirk I Erickson
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Matthew F Muldoon
Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Stephen B Manuck
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Anna L Marsland
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Cristina Molina Hidalgo
AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA
Audrey M Collins
AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA
Mary E Crisafio
College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
George Grove
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Thomas W Kamarck
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Chaeryon Kang
Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Regina L Leckie
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Madison MacDonald
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Javier Rasero
ExPhy Research group and Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain
Mark R Scudder
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Daniel Velazquez-Diaz
AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA
Timothy Verstynen
Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Lu Wan
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Peter J Gianaros
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Introduction Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on brain health and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Yet, we know little about whether PA-induced changes to physiological mediators of CVD risk influence brain health and whether benefits to brain health may also explain PA-induced improvements to CVD risk. This study combines neurobiological and peripheral physiological methods in the context of a randomised clinical trial to better understand the links between exercise, brain health and CVD risk.Methods and analysis In this 12-month trial, 130 healthy individuals between the ages of 26 and 58 will be randomly assigned to either: (1) moderate-intensity aerobic PA for 150 min/week or (2) a health information control group. Cardiovascular, neuroimaging and PA measurements will occur for both groups before and after the intervention. Primary outcomes include changes in (1) brain structural areas (ie, hippocampal volume); (2) systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses to functional MRI cognitive stressor tasks and (3) heart rate variability. The main secondary outcomes include changes in (1) brain activity, resting state connectivity, cortical thickness and cortical volume; (2) daily life SBP stress reactivity; (3) negative and positive affect; (4) baroreflex sensitivity; (5) pulse wave velocity; (6) endothelial function and (7) daily life positive and negative affect. Our results are expected to have both mechanistic and public health implications regarding brain–body interactions in the context of cardiovascular health.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (IRB ID: 19020218). This study will comply with the NIH Data Sharing Policy and Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information and the Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission rule.Trial registration number NCT03841669.
