Healthy AgeingFABNCT07443189

Fitness, Ageing, and Bilingualism (FAB): The Benefits of Regular Exercise and Bilingualism for Language Abilities in Healthy Ageing.

A study testing Home-Based HIIT in people with Healthy Ageing and Cognitive Decline, run by University of Agder at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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

Who is it for?: Ages 60 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for: Healthy Ageing, Cognitive Decline, Cardiorespiratory Fitness
What is being tested?: Home-Based HIIT
Could I receive a placebo?: No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people: 233 participants
Where: 2 sitesin 2 countries
Study dates: 1 Sep 2021to 30 Nov 2023
Phase: Interventional
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 60 to 85 years
All sexes
Healthy volunteers accepted
Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

Non-smokers for at least 5 years prior to enrollment.
Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing.
No diagnosed language impairments (e.g., dyslexia, stuttering).
No illness or disease that would prevent safe participation in high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Self-reported not meeting global physical activity recommendations (i.e., <150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity).
Norway only: Written health certificate from the participant's general practitioner confirming eligibility for participation.

Who cannot join

Any cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, neurological, kidney, liver, or cancer disease that would prevent safe participation in HIIT.
United Kingdom only: Severe electrocardiogram abnormalities (e.g., ST depression, long QT, heart block, wide QRS).
United Kingdom only: Elevated blood pressure at screening (systolic >160 mmHg and/or diastolic >90 mmHg).

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 2 countries.

Country

City, postcode or hospital

2 sites in 2 countries

Norway1 site

University of Agder
Kristiansand, 4614

Other trials in Norway

United Kingdom1 site

University of Birmingham
Birmingham

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

This project investigates the relative benefits of regular physical activity and bilingualism for ameliorating cognitive decline in healthy ageing, with a particular focus on language function. The randomized intervention component tests whether improving fitness via a home-based HIIT program leads to changes in fitness and related cognitive/language outcomes in older adults.

Read the detailed description

This project will determine the relative benefits of regular physical activity and bilingualism for the amelioration of cognitive decline in old age. Our project focuses on language because it is a core aspect of human cognition, which has received surprisingly little attention in ageing research given its tremendous impact on well-being. Our own previous research has demonstrated that healthy older adults experience a decline in language function, which is characterized by word finding difficulties, slower and more disfluent sentence production, and slower and less accurate sentence comprehension. Such language problems impact older adults' functioning and can lead to social withdrawal and loneliness. The current project, therefore, investigates how to ameliorate such language problems, as well as other forms of cognitive decline in healthy ageing. Two ameliorating factors that have received a lot of attention are bilingualism and regular physical activity, which have been shown to reduce the structural and functional brain decline associated with healthy ageing and to confer cognitive reserve, i.e. resilient cognitive performance. Currently, however, it has only been established that bilingualism and regular physical activity provide benefits for non-linguistic aspects of cognition, such as executive functioning, working memory, and processing speed. What is currently lacking is knowledge about the effects of exercise on language abilities in healthy ageing. Many language processes are isolated from, and independent of, other cognitive faculties. For example, word finding difficulties are not failures of long-term memory, as word knowledge increases with age, but the ability to successfully access words decreases. We have already demonstrated that fitter older adults experience fewer word finding difficulties than unfit older adults. In the current project, we aim to establish for the first time a causal relationship between physical exercise and ameliorated language decline in healthy ageing. To this end, we will conduct an aerobic exercise intervention and quantify increases in fitness levels and physical changes due to the intervention. We will examine the effects of these changes on language function in mono- and bilingual older adults. Moreover, using neuroimaging, we will investigate the neural changes underlying the benefits of exercise for language. Our study will thus provide new knowledge about how best to maintain language abilities across the lifespan. Furthermore, ameliorating language decline might be even more crucial for bilinguals than monolinguals, as bilingualism, even in young adults, has measurable costs for linguistic processing. Bilinguals have slower and less fluent word retrieval in both languages and more frequent word finding failures than monolinguals. Previous research provides competing accounts of these deficits, attributing them to either competition between languages during production or to the reduced frequency of use of a given language compared to monolinguals. Critically, these mechanisms may be differently affected by ageing. This is because with age, executive control declines, but language use accrues. Our research will therefore test these alternative theories about language decline in ageing bilinguals. We will also collect detailed information on the individual characteristics of bilinguals, which will allow us to identify those variables of bilingualism that serve to protect against decline in ageing. The study will be run across two institutions: the Universities of Agder (Norway) and Birmingham (UK).

Conditions: Healthy Ageing, Cognitive Decline, Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Being tested: Home-Based HIIT
Keywords: Fitness, high-intensity interval training, home-based exercise, HIIT, bilingualism, language function, VO2peak
Medical subject headings: Cognitive Dysfunction, Language

What participants receive

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

Home-Based HIITOther
Also called Home-based high intensity training
Participants will complete a 26-week home-based HIIT program comprising simple circuit training once per week and interval training twice per week. A 26-week dose will be targeted; if interruptions occur (e.g., illness, travel), the intervention period will be extended to ensure completion of 26 weeks of exercise sessions. The first four weeks will constitute a familiarization period with sub-maximal sessions, training equipment familiarization (Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor), and instructional videos. Subsequent sessions will target high intensity (≥80% of HRpeak). Training will be guided by a personal exercise coach via emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings once weekly during the familiarization period and monthly thereafter. Participants will use a Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor; the watch will be pre-programmed to display %HRpeak in real time during sessions. Exercise data will be extracted using Polar Flow software.

Study groups in NCT07443189
Study group	Role	What they receive
Exercise	Experimental	Participants will complete a 26-week home-based HIIT program comprising simple circuit training once per week and interval training twice per week. A 26-week dose will be targeted; if interruptions occur (e.g., illness, travel), the intervention period will be extended to ensure completion of 26 weeks of exercise sessions. The first four weeks will constitute a familiarization period with sub-maximal sessions, training equipment familiarization (Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor), and instructional videos. Subsequent sessions will target high intensity (≥80% of HRpeak). Training will be guided by a personal exercise coach via emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings once weekly during the familiarization period and monthly thereafter. Participants will use a Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor; the watch will be pre-programmed to display %HRpeak in real time during sessions. Exercise data will be extracted using Polar Flow software. Receives: Other: Home-Based HIIT
Control group	No intervention	Control participants will be instructed to maintain their usual lifestyles without significant changes to physical activity or dietary habits.

What is being measured

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

Aerobic fitness - VO₂peak
Direct measurement of maximal oxygen uptake during a standardized progressive treadmill walking protocol to volitional fatigue. Participants complete 2-7 min self-paced level walking before the test. The test starts at 3.8 km/h with 4% incline; after a 4-min warm-up/stabilization, incline increases 3% every 4 min until blood lactate is 2.1 mmol/L above baseline, then incline increases 2% per minute up to 20%, followed by speed increases of 0.5 km/h per minute to exhaustion. VO₂peak is defined as the average of the highest 30-s VO₂ values. Test validity requires RER ≥ 1.10 or Borg ≥ 17.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Language function - Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) task
Participants read definitions and attempt to name the target word (e.g., "A young swan" → "cygnet"). After each item they indicate Know, Don't Know, or Tip-of-the-tongue. The behavioral task includes 60 items (30 cognates; 30 non-cognates). Separate stimulus sets are used for English vs Norwegian, and for pre- vs post-intervention testing. Outcomes include probability of Know and TOT vs Don't Know (knowledge) and TOT vs Know (TOT probability).
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Language function - sentence production (speeded picture description)
Speeded picture description to elicit phrases varying in type (coordinate vs prepositional clauses) and complexity (simple vs adjective-modified phrases). Stimuli comprise 20 image pairs, each appearing once in each of four conditions (within-items; within-subject). Outcomes include speech onset latency (RT) for correct responses and accuracy (correct clause produced). Separate stimulus sets are used for English pre, English post, Norwegian pre, and Norwegian post.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Language function - sentence comprehension (auditory word monitoring)
Participants make a speeded button press when they hear a pre-specified target word embedded in auditory input. Targets appear in unstructured lists, meaningful sentences with low target probability, and meaningful sentences with high target probability. Each stimulus set contains 60 items arranged across lists using a Latin square design. Outcome is reaction time measured from speech onset to button press for correct trials (and accuracy as applicable). Separate sets are used for English pre, English post, Norwegian pre, and Norwegian post.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Language function - discourse production (free picture description)
Participants describe one of four matched scenes inspired by the "cookie theft" picture (updated to include more objects/actions and less stereotyped roles). Primary outcome is speech duration (time speaking). Additional planned outcomes may include language complexity (e.g., mean phrase length, mean lexical frequency) and fluency (e.g., syllables per second, pausing-to-speech ratio). Scene presentation is counterbalanced to minimize repetition across sessions where applicable.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Language control - language switching (bilinguals only; cued picture naming)
Bilingual participants name pictures of common objects in L1 (Norwegian) or L2 (English) following a cue. 24 items appear across eight blocks: two English-only and two Norwegian-only blocks (single-language), plus four mixed blocks containing switch (L1↔L2) and stay trials. Two matched stimulus sets (pre and post) are used; order is counterbalanced. Outcomes include switching score (RT difference switch vs stay trials) and switching cost (RT difference switching vs non-switching blocks), plus accuracy.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Cognitive function - processing speed (letter comparison)
Same/different judgments for two letter strings presented top/bottom; string length varies from 3 to 6 letters, total 48 trials. Outcomes are reaction time and accuracy for correct responses.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Cognitive function - working memory (n-back)
1-back and 2-back continuous performance task with 120 trials total (60 1-back; 60 2-back). Outcomes are reaction time and accuracy; incorrect includes misses/omissions as specified.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Cognitive function - working memory (digit span)
Digits presented with 1-second inter-stimulus interval. Sequence length starts at 3 digits and increases up to 12. Each length is presented three times; participants must recall 2/3 correctly to continue. Task stops when criterion is not met. Outcome is maximum correctly recalled span (maximum 30 trials).
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Cognitive function - attention/executive control (Attention Network Task; ANT)
Combined Posner cueing and flanker paradigm. Participants indicate direction of a central arrow flanked by congruent or incongruent arrows; cues indicate target location (top/bottom) after warning signal. 96 trials per block, 3 blocks total. Outcomes are ANT network indices: alerting (no cue RT - cue RT), orienting (center cue RT - spatial cue RT), and executive control (incongruent RT - congruent RT), computed for correct responses.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Cognitive function - task switching (colour-shape switching)
Four blocks: first/last are single-task ("solid") blocks (colour-only or shape-only), middle two are mixed blocks with switch/stay trials. Total 144 trials. Outcomes include RT and accuracy, plus local and global switch costs.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)

Secondary outcomes (17)

Aerobic fitness - blood lactate concentration
Capillary blood lactate sampled by finger prick after each 4-min stage and 1 min after test termination during the graded treadmill protocol. Lactate is used to characterize metabolic response and thresholds (including the point where lactate reaches 2.1 mmol/L above baseline, which triggers the subsequent ramp).
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - handgrip strength
Standing dynamometer test; participants instructed to grip maximally without pressing against the body. Three attempts on each hand with 30-s rest between attempts. Outcome is the best of three attempts per hand (kg), used for analysis.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - 30-second chair stand
Counts number of correct full stands from seated position within 30 seconds without using arms. If the participant is more than halfway up at 30 seconds, it counts as a full stand. Outcome is total number of correct stands.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - chair sit-and-reach (hamstring flexibility)
Participant sits on chair edge, extends one leg with heel on floor and foot flexed, reaches forward toward (or past) toes and holds 2 seconds. Outcome is distance in cm from toe: negative if short, positive if beyond toe; best score retained.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - back scratch (shoulder flexibility)
One hand reaches up the spine from lower back while the other reaches down behind the neck; distance between middle fingertips measured to nearest 0.5 cm. Outcomes recorded for right/left arm over; positive values indicate overlap, negative indicate gap; one attempt per side.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - 8-foot up-and-go (mobility/agility)
Participant rises from chair, walks 8 ft (2.438 m) around a cone/marker, returns to sit as quickly as possible. Outcome is time (s) from "go" to sitting; record to nearest 0.1 s and use best (lowest) time.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - one-leg standing balance (OLSB)
Participant stands on preferred leg with the other foot off the floor and attempts to maintain balance. Performance is coded relative to 5 seconds: <5 s = "abnormal"; ≥5 s without difficulty = "normal"; ≥5 s with apparent difficulty = "adaptive". (If your registry requires a single numeric outcome, additionally record time in seconds.)
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - structural T1-weighted imaging
High-resolution T1-weighted structural scan (1 mm isotropic) acquired on a Siemens PRISMA 3T with 32-channel head coil (TR 2000 ms; TE 2.01 ms; TI 880 ms; flip angle 8°; FOV 256×256×208 mm; ~4:52 min). Outcomes include structural brain measures such as grey matter volume/density.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - task fMRI
Multiband EPI-BOLD task fMRI while completing a TOT task; 2.5 mm isotropic, TR 1500 ms, TE 35 ms, phase encoding A→P; four runs (~12.5 min each; ~50 min total). Pre/post contrasts include TOT > Know, Know > Don't Know (and exploratory TOT > Don't Know).
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - resting-state fMRI
EPI-BOLD fMRI; participants will undergo an eyes-open resting-state sequence (participants fixating on white fixation cross on black background). Imaging parameters are the same as task-fMRI. Duration 7-8 mins.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - perfusion
A multi-inversion time (multi-TI) pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (PCASL) will be used to acquire quantitative perfusion measures (in ml/100g/s) over the brain at rest. This sequence will also allow the arterial transit times (in s-1) to be measured.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Health-related quality of life - SF-12
MOS 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Outcome is SF-12 score(s), where higher scores indicate better health/quality of life.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - forced expiratory manoeuvre (FVC)
Spirometry-based forced vital capacity: maximal volume exhaled during a forced expiration following maximal inspiration, expressed in litres at BTPS. Test conducted seated with nose clip and coached maximal effort.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - forced expiratory manoeuvre (FEV₁)
Spirometry-based forced expiratory volume in 1 second: maximal volume exhaled in the first second of a forced expiration from full inspiration, expressed in litres at BTPS.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV)
Participant breathes as rapidly and deeply as possible for 12 seconds (target ~90-110 breaths/min), seated with nose clip; two attempts with 2-min rest. Outcome is MVV expressed as L·min-¹ at BTPS.
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Ventilatory mechanics - exercise flow-volume loop overlap (ventilatory constraint)
During graded treadmill testing, tidal flow-volume loops are plotted within the maximal flow-volume envelope. Mean of three tidal breaths over the last 30 s of each 4-min stage are recorded, with inspiratory capacity manoeuvres used to correct drift. Outcome includes degree of ventilatory constraint (e.g., % overlap).
Measured: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical activity levels - accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X+)
Participants wear an ActiGraph GT3X+ for 7-day monitoring periods to quantify physical activity patterns during the intervention. Monitoring occurs at start, mid-point, and end of the intervention; outcomes can include time in intensity bands (e.g., MVPA) and overall activity counts, per analysis plan.
Measured: Baseline (start of intervention); mid-intervention; 26 weeks (end/post-intervention)

Timeline

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

1 Sep 202130 Nov 2023

First posted2 Mar 2026
Study start1 Sep 2021
Primary completion30 Nov 2023
Study completion30 Nov 2023

Resources

Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
Other trials for Healthy AgeingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

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

Study design

Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase N/A
Primary purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomised
Intervention model: Parallel groups
Masking: None (open label)
Enrolment: 233 participants (actual)

IDs, dates and publications

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07443189
Sponsor's protocol ID: FAB
Acronym: FAB
Status last verified: Feb 2026
First submitted: 17 Feb 2026
Last updated: 2 Mar 2026
Results posted: No
Data monitoring committee: No
FDA-regulated drug: No
FDA-regulated device: No
Individual data sharing: Yes: De-identified individual participant data underlying the results will be reported via OSF Storage.

Publications

Fosstveit SH, Feron J, Lohne-Seiler H, Joyce KE, Segaert K, Lucas SJE, Berntsen S. Impact of adherence to six-month home-based HIIT on cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2026 May 14;18(1):313. doi: 10.1186/s13102-026-01750-5.
PubMed 42135794

Want to know more?

The sponsor has not listed a contact. The official record may have more details.

Talk to your doctor first and take this page with you. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

Questions to ask the study team

What is the study trying to find out?
What would I need to do, and how often would I visit?
Could I receive a placebo instead of the treatment?
What are the possible risks and benefits for me?
Will it cost me anything? Are travel or time paid for?
Can I keep seeing my own doctor during the study?
What happens when the study ends?

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Study at a glance

From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.

Official title: Fitness, Ageing, and Bilingualism (FAB): The Benefits of Regular Exercise and Bilingualism for Language Abilities in Healthy Ageing.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07443189
Acronym / sponsor ID: FAB / FAB
Conditions: Healthy Ageing, Cognitive Decline, Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Keywords: Fitness, high-intensity interval training, home-based exercise, HIIT, bilingualism, language function, VO2peak
Study type: Interventional
Recruitment status: Completed
Enrolment: 233 participants (actual)
Lead sponsor: University of AgderUniversity, hospital or other
Collaborators: University of Birmingham
Study start: 1 Sep 2021 (actual)
Primary completion: 30 Nov 2023 (actual)
Study completion: 30 Nov 2023 (actual)
First posted: 2 Mar 2026 (actual)
Results: Not posted in the source record

Clinical summary

The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.

Detailed description

Study design

Primary purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomised
Intervention model: Parallel groups
Masking: None (open label)
Number of arms: 2

Arm	Type	Receives
Exercise	Experimental	Other: Home-Based HIITParticipants will complete a 26-week home-based HIIT program comprising simple circuit training once per week and interval training twice per week. A 26-week dose will be targeted; if interruptions occur (e.g., illness, travel), the intervention period will be extended to ensure completion of 26 weeks of exercise sessions. The first four weeks will constitute a familiarization period with sub-maximal sessions, training equipment familiarization (Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor), and instructional videos. Subsequent sessions will target high intensity (≥80% of HRpeak). Training will be guided by a personal exercise coach via emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings once weekly during the familiarization period and monthly thereafter. Participants will use a Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor; the watch will be pre-programmed to display %HRpeak in real time during sessions. Exercise data will be extracted using Polar Flow software.
Control group	No intervention	–Control participants will be instructed to maintain their usual lifestyles without significant changes to physical activity or dietary habits.

Who may qualify

Ages: 60 to 85 years
Sex: All
Healthy volunteers: Accepted
Age groups: Adult, Older adult

Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)

Non-smokers for at least 5 years prior to enrollment.
Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing.
No diagnosed language impairments (e.g., dyslexia, stuttering).
No illness or disease that would prevent safe participation in high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Self-reported not meeting global physical activity recommendations (i.e., <150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity).

Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)

Any cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, neurological, kidney, liver, or cancer disease that would prevent safe participation in HIIT.
United Kingdom only: Severe electrocardiogram abnormalities (e.g., ST depression, long QT, heart block, wide QRS).
United Kingdom only: Elevated blood pressure at screening (systolic >160 mmHg and/or diastolic >90 mmHg).

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Interventions

Intervention	Type	Arms
Home-Based HIITAlso: Home-based high intensity trainingParticipants will complete a 26-week home-based HIIT program comprising simple circuit training once per week and interval training twice per week. A 26-week dose will be targeted; if interruptions occur (e.g., illness, travel), the intervention period will be extended to ensure completion of 26 weeks of exercise sessions. The first four weeks will constitute a familiarization period with sub-maximal sessions, training equipment familiarization (Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor), and instructional videos. Subsequent sessions will target high intensity (≥80% of HRpeak). Training will be guided by a personal exercise coach via emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings once weekly during the familiarization period and monthly thereafter. Participants will use a Polar Unite watch and Polar H9 chest sensor; the watch will be pre-programmed to display %HRpeak in real time during sessions. Exercise data will be extracted using Polar Flow software.	Other	Exercise

Primary outcome

Aerobic fitness - VO₂peak
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Direct measurement of maximal oxygen uptake during a standardized progressive treadmill walking protocol to volitional fatigue. Participants complete 2-7 min self-paced level walking before the test. The test starts at 3.8 km/h with 4% incline; after a 4-min warm-up/stabilization, incline increases 3% every 4 min until blood lactate is 2.1 mmol/L above baseline, then incline increases 2% per minute up to 20%, followed by speed increases of 0.5 km/h per minute to exhaustion. VO₂peak is defined as the average of the highest 30-s VO₂ values. Test validity requires RER ≥ 1.10 or Borg ≥ 17.
Language function - Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) task
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Participants read definitions and attempt to name the target word (e.g., "A young swan" → "cygnet"). After each item they indicate Know, Don't Know, or Tip-of-the-tongue. The behavioral task includes 60 items (30 cognates; 30 non-cognates). Separate stimulus sets are used for English vs Norwegian, and for pre- vs post-intervention testing. Outcomes include probability of Know and TOT vs Don't Know (knowledge) and TOT vs Know (TOT probability).
Language function - sentence production (speeded picture description)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Speeded picture description to elicit phrases varying in type (coordinate vs prepositional clauses) and complexity (simple vs adjective-modified phrases). Stimuli comprise 20 image pairs, each appearing once in each of four conditions (within-items; within-subject). Outcomes include speech onset latency (RT) for correct responses and accuracy (correct clause produced). Separate stimulus sets are used for English pre, English post, Norwegian pre, and Norwegian post.
Language function - sentence comprehension (auditory word monitoring)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Participants make a speeded button press when they hear a pre-specified target word embedded in auditory input. Targets appear in unstructured lists, meaningful sentences with low target probability, and meaningful sentences with high target probability. Each stimulus set contains 60 items arranged across lists using a Latin square design. Outcome is reaction time measured from speech onset to button press for correct trials (and accuracy as applicable). Separate sets are used for English pre, English post, Norwegian pre, and Norwegian post.
Language function - discourse production (free picture description)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Participants describe one of four matched scenes inspired by the "cookie theft" picture (updated to include more objects/actions and less stereotyped roles). Primary outcome is speech duration (time speaking). Additional planned outcomes may include language complexity (e.g., mean phrase length, mean lexical frequency) and fluency (e.g., syllables per second, pausing-to-speech ratio). Scene presentation is counterbalanced to minimize repetition across sessions where applicable.
Language control - language switching (bilinguals only; cued picture naming)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Bilingual participants name pictures of common objects in L1 (Norwegian) or L2 (English) following a cue. 24 items appear across eight blocks: two English-only and two Norwegian-only blocks (single-language), plus four mixed blocks containing switch (L1↔L2) and stay trials. Two matched stimulus sets (pre and post) are used; order is counterbalanced. Outcomes include switching score (RT difference switch vs stay trials) and switching cost (RT difference switching vs non-switching blocks), plus accuracy.
Cognitive function - processing speed (letter comparison)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Same/different judgments for two letter strings presented top/bottom; string length varies from 3 to 6 letters, total 48 trials. Outcomes are reaction time and accuracy for correct responses.
Cognitive function - working memory (n-back)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
1-back and 2-back continuous performance task with 120 trials total (60 1-back; 60 2-back). Outcomes are reaction time and accuracy; incorrect includes misses/omissions as specified.
Cognitive function - working memory (digit span)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Digits presented with 1-second inter-stimulus interval. Sequence length starts at 3 digits and increases up to 12. Each length is presented three times; participants must recall 2/3 correctly to continue. Task stops when criterion is not met. Outcome is maximum correctly recalled span (maximum 30 trials).
Cognitive function - attention/executive control (Attention Network Task; ANT)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Combined Posner cueing and flanker paradigm. Participants indicate direction of a central arrow flanked by congruent or incongruent arrows; cues indicate target location (top/bottom) after warning signal. 96 trials per block, 3 blocks total. Outcomes are ANT network indices: alerting (no cue RT - cue RT), orienting (center cue RT - spatial cue RT), and executive control (incongruent RT - congruent RT), computed for correct responses.
Cognitive function - task switching (colour-shape switching)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Four blocks: first/last are single-task ("solid") blocks (colour-only or shape-only), middle two are mixed blocks with switch/stay trials. Total 144 trials. Outcomes include RT and accuracy, plus local and global switch costs.

17 secondary outcomes

Aerobic fitness - blood lactate concentration
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - handgrip strength
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - 30-second chair stand
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - chair sit-and-reach (hamstring flexibility)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - back scratch (shoulder flexibility)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - 8-foot up-and-go (mobility/agility)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical function - one-leg standing balance (OLSB)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - structural T1-weighted imaging
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - task fMRI
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - resting-state fMRI
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
MRI - perfusion
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Health-related quality of life - SF-12
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - forced expiratory manoeuvre (FVC)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - forced expiratory manoeuvre (FEV₁)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Lung function - maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Ventilatory mechanics - exercise flow-volume loop overlap (ventilatory constraint)
Time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)
Physical activity levels - accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X+)
Time frame: Baseline (start of intervention); mid-intervention; 26 weeks (end/post-intervention)

Results and safety

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

Research links

Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Mar 2026.
Derived from this study: PubMed 42135794Fosstveit SH, Feron J, Lohne-Seiler H, Joyce KE, Segaert K, Lucas SJE, Berntsen S. Impact of adherence to six-month home-based HIIT on cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2026 May 14;18(1):313. doi: 10.1186/s13102-026-01750-5.
Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. De-identified individual participant data underlying the results will be reported via OSF Storage.

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Referral and contact

AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.

The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.

2 sites in 2 countries: see every site and its status.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Home-Based HIIT in people with Healthy Ageing and Cognitive Decline, run by University of Agder at 2 sites in 2 countries.

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 6 inclusion and 3 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 2 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Norway, United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

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?

Aerobic fitness - VO₂peak (time frame: Baseline; 26 weeks (post-intervention)). The study lists 11 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 NCT07443189, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 2 Mar 2026.