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CompletedNCT00430976Updated Dec 11, 2009

Exercise, Executive Processes and the Aging Brain

A Phase 3 interventional study of Minds in Motion in Cognition and Aging, sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA). Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 60 Years to 74 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2009-12-11.

Sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA) · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
100
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
60 Years to 74 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of aerobic exercise on the brain and cognition through the measurement of neuroelectric and behavioral indices of executive control cognitive function in older adults.

Read the detailed description

The aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of factors that relate to the increased health and effective functioning of older adults. Specifically, efficiency of psychomotor performance declines with advancing age leading to profound effects on older adults' quality of life. For this reason, researchers have focused on the influence that individual lifestyle habits have on the aging process. One lifestyle choice that has been found to positively contribute to the efficiency of older adults' psychomotor performance is cardiovascular exercise. This relationship appears to be especially significant when older adults are challenged with more complex or effortful tasks. Previous research has led investigators to believe that aging has a specific, rather than generalized, impact on cognitive functioning. Also, prolonged participation in cardiovascular exercise has been found to maintain the cognitive functioning critical for healthy aging.

Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine the role of an organized 6-month cardiovascular exercise intervention trial on electrocortical (event-related brain potential) and behavioral measures (reaction time) of executive control. In addition, a non-cardiovascular exercise control group that participates in a 6-month stretching and toning program will be used for comparison. Participants will be measured before and after exercise training during engagement in several tasks designed to elicit different executive functions (e.g., discrimination, task switching, inhibition). Each task also contains a non-executive condition that will be used for comparison to examine the specificity of exercise participation of cognitive functioning. A secondary aim of this project is to determine the effects of an acute bout of exercise on cognitive functioning. Both groups will participate in several bouts of exercise followed by immediate measurement on the tasks outlined above to determine whether acute exercise has beneficial effects on executive processes. The significance of this research may include the increased understanding of factors related to the amelioration of age-related decrements in central nervous system functioning and recommendations for the maintenance of cognitive health during the later stages of life.

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Conditions studied

  • Cognition
  • Aging

Keywords

  • psychomotor function
  • neuromuscular system
  • memory
  • brain electrical activity
  • Mental Processes
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In context

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Aging (NIA) is the lead sponsor of 157 studies on the registry; 13 are open to participants now.

Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (29%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years to 74 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • 60-74 years of age
  • Sedentary (no physical activity in 6 last months)
  • 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 Mental Status measure
  • Corrected (near and far) acuity 20/40 or better
  • Initial depression score on GDS below clinical level
  • Not previously committed to leaving the Champaign County area for more than 1 month during the intervention period

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Below 60 years of age
  • Regular self-reported physical activity (2 times per week) in last six months
  • Any physical disability that prohibits mobility (walking), stretching etc.
  • Non-consent of physician
  • Evidence of abnormal cardiac responses or conditions during graded exercise testing
  • Three or more errors on the Mental Status measure
  • Corrected (near and far) acuity of greater than 20/40
  • Depression score on GDS indicative of clinical depression
  • Committed to leaving the Champaign County area for longer than 1 month during the intervention period
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Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
100 participants

Interventions

  • BehavioralMinds in Motion
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in event-related brain potentials

  2. reaction time

  3. response accuracy

Secondary outcomes

  1. aerobic fitness

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Study locations

1 site
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Themanson JR, Hillman CH, Curtin JJ. Age and physical activity influences on action monitoring during task switching. Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Sep;27(9):1335-45. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2005.07.002. Epub 2005 Aug 15. PubMed 16102874 ↗
  • Hillman CH, Motl RW, Pontifex MB, Posthuma D, Stubbe JH, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC. Physical activity and cognitive function in a cross-section of younger and older community-dwelling individuals. Health Psychol. 2006 Nov;25(6):678-687. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.25.6.678. PubMed 17100496 ↗
  • Hillman CH, Kramer AF, Belopolsky AV, Smith DP. A cross-sectional examination of age and physical activity on performance and event-related brain potentials in a task switching paradigm. Int J Psychophysiol. 2006 Jan;59(1):30-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2005.04.009. PubMed 16413382 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 11, 2009, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00430976
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
First posted
Feb 2, 2007
Start date
Dec 2006
Primary completion
May 2007
Completion
May 2007
Last update
Dec 11, 2009

Study contacts

Charles H. Hillman, PhD
principal investigator · University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2008. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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