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Cognitive DeclineNCT03775941

Fitness on White Matter and Cognition in Aging

An observational study of Cognitive Decline and Executive Dysfunction, run by Suffolk University.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with decreased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. CRF is linked with more conserved gray and white matter (WM) volume, improved WM microstructural integrity, and better cognitive performance among healthy older adults. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 20 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
How many people
645 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Mar 2012to Jul 2016
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 20 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Participants are community-dwelling adults from the "Cross-Sectional Lifespan Connectomics Study" of the Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland Sample (NKI-RS)-a large cross-sectional sample of adult brain development. NKI prospectively recruited community-dwelling residents of Rockland County, New York-a region that is socioeconomically comparable to United States demographics.

Who may be able to join

  • diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) without significant artifacts
  • T1-weighted structural imaging (Magnetization-Prepared Rapid Gradient-Echo; MPRAGE) without significant artifacts
  • CRF data from a standardized cycle ergometer test (commonly used for predicting maximal oxygen uptake; VO2 max).

Who cannot join

  • severe psychiatric illness (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia disorder, schizoaffective disorder)
  • severe developmental disorders (autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities)
  • current suicidal or homicidal ideation
  • severe cerebral trauma (stroke, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, ischemic attack in the past two years)
  • severe neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's disease, Huntington's Disease, dementia)
  • a history of substance dependence in the past two years (with an exception for cannabis)
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  • a lifetime history of psychiatric hospitalization
  • current pregnancy
  • MRI contraindications

About this study

Official title: Neuroprotective Effects of Cardiorespiratory Fitness on White Matter Integrity and Cognition Across the Adult Lifespan

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with decreased risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. CRF is linked with more conserved gray and white matter (WM) volume, improved WM microstructural integrity, and better cognitive performance among healthy older adults. Additional research is needed to determine: (1) which WM tracts are most strongly related to CRF, (2) whether CRF-related benefits on WM translate to enhanced cognitive functioning, and (3) factors that mediate and moderate CRF effects. Higher CRF was hypothesized to be associated with stronger WM integrity, both globally and locally in WM tracts that connect frontal brain regions. The neuroprotective effects were hypothesized to be age-dependent, such that the association between CRF and WM integrity would be stronger in old age compared to younger age. Finally, higher CRF was hypothesized to predict stronger performance on tests of executive functioning (EF), partially mediated by frontal WM integrity. Delineation of specific neurocognitive effects of CRF may serve clinicians in individually tailoring wellness interventions to meet patients' specific cognitive concerns with aging.

Read the detailed description

Sample: Participant data from the "Cross-Sectional Lifespan Connectomics Study" of the Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland Sample (NKI-RS) will be analyzed for the present study. Zip code-based recruitment and monitoring enrollment for key demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity) were used to maintain adequate representation of Rockland County and prevent sampling biases (e.g., cohort effects). NKI-RS eligibility was designed for inclusivity.

Procedure: All participants completed a medical evaluation, psychiatric interview, self-report questionnaires, standardized battery of cognitive tests, and neuroimaging at NKI. Complete details about the MRI measurement parameters can be located on the NKI-RS website for DTI and MPRAGE and protocols. Quality assurance of raw data, inclusive of monitoring standard operating procedures, error-handling, and compiling the data dictionary, is maintained by NKI-RS. Raw neuroimaging data was acquired by NKI-RS and processed at Suffolk University using TRACULA and FreeSurfer 5.3.

Statistical Plan: Analyses will be performed on de-identified phenotypic and neuroimaging data from adult NKI-RS participants available at the start of this study (October 2016). Analyses will evaluate the potential for CRF to modulate decline in WM integrity and EF observed with aging. Mixed-effects modeling will investigate the extent to which CRF predicts WM integrity, as both a global measurement of fractional anisotropy (FA) and FA within nine major WM tracts. Structural equation modeling will examine whether higher FA within frontal WM tracts partially mediates a positive relationship between CRF and EF. The role of age and clinical characteristics (e.g., cardiovascular risk factors, depression) will also be explored as covariates in the link between CRF, WM, and EF.

Keywords
Neuroimaging, White matter, Cardiorespiratory fitness, Physical activity, Cognitive aging, Executive function, Cognitive reserve
Medical subject headings
Cognitive Dysfunction, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT03775941
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Cross-Sectional Lifespan Connectomics StudyNot described

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. white matter (WM) microstructure integrity

    fractional anisotropy (FA) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

    Measured: Measured between 9:00 and 10:00 am on the single assessment day.

  2. executive function (EF)

    Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) subtests will include the Trail Making Test, Design Fluency Test, Color-Word Interference Test, and Tower Tests. Scores from each subtest will be transformed into z-scores to yield the same units of measurement. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) will aggregate these values quantify a construct of overall EF.

    Measured: Measured between 12:30 and 2:30 pm on the single assessment day.

  3. executive function (EF)

    Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB) subtests will include the CNB Letter N-back Test and Conditional Exclusion Test. Scores from each subtest will be transformed into z-scores to yield the same units of measurement. Then, structural equation modeling (SEM) will aggregate these values quantify a construct of overall EF.

    Measured: Measured between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm on the single assessment day.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Dec 2018
  2. Study startMar 2012
  3. Primary completionJul 2016
  4. Study completionJul 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Ecologic or community
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
645 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03775941
Sponsor's protocol ID
NKI-RS
Other IDs
R01MH094639-01
Status last verified
Dec 2018
First submitted
29 Nov 2018
Last updated
19 Dec 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland Sample is a public, open-access data repository that is available upon approval of the NKI data usage agreement. R code for all study analyses will be made available for reproducibility with open-access NKI-RS data.

Publications

  • Nooner KB, Colcombe SJ, Tobe RH, Mennes M, Benedict MM, Moreno AL, Panek LJ, Brown S, Zavitz ST, Li Q, Sikka S, Gutman D, Bangaru S, Schlachter RT, Kamiel SM, Anwar AR, Hinz CM, Kaplan MS, Rachlin AB, Adelsberg S, Cheung B, Khanuja R, Yan C, Craddock CC, Calhoun V, Courtney W, King M, Wood D, Cox CL, Kelly AM, Di Martino A, Petkova E, Reiss PT, Duan N, Thomsen D, Biswal B, Coffey B, Hoptman MJ, Javitt DC, Pomara N, Sidtis JJ, Koplewicz HS, Castellanos FX, Leventhal BL, Milham MP. The NKI-Rockland Sample: A Model for Accelerating the Pace of Discovery Science in Psychiatry. Front Neurosci. 2012 Oct 16;6:152. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00152. eCollection 2012.

    PubMed 23087608
  • Andrade MA, Raposo A, Andrade A. Exploring the late maturation of an intrinsic episodic memory network: A resting-state fMRI study. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2024 Dec;70:101453. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101453. Epub 2024 Sep 26.

    PubMed 39368283

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Cognitive Decline and Executive Dysfunction, run by Suffolk University.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Dec 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

white matter (WM) microstructure integrity (time frame: Measured between 9:00 and 10:00 am on the single assessment day.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03775941, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Dec 2018.

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