Recruiting

Moderate & Low-Intensity ExerciseAerobic Exercise and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms

Sponsor:

Yale University

Code:

NCT07103902

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 64

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Moderate-Intensity Exercise

Low-Intensity Exercise

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of exercise on cognitive flexibility and symptom reactivity. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does moderate intensity physical activity reduce subjective distress, compulsive urges, and intrusions- and increase cognitive flexibility- in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared to low-intensity physical activity?

Researchers will compare low- to moderate-intensity exercise to see if moderate physical activity increases cognitive flexibility and reduces symptom reactivity in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Participants will:

Complete self-report surveys, psychiatric interviews, and cognitive tasks.

Be assigned to either a low- or moderate-intensity exercise condition and complete physical activity.

Repeat cognitive and symptom measures following the exercise intervention.

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Study ID

NCT07103902

Start date

Feb 16, 2026

Status verified date

Jul, 2025

Completion date

Sep 1, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 1, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 64

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Adults, age 18 to 64 years
Meet diagnostic criteria for OCD (per the DIAMOND)
Stable psychiatric or medication treatment (if ≥4-weeks), or if no active treatment. Psychotropic medications will be reviewed with the study psychiatrist on a case by case basis.

Exclusion Criteria:

Active or unmanaged psychotic disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, bipolar disorder, current substance use disorder (moderate-to-severe), or high risk for suicide (defined as attempt, plan, or intent within past 3 months)
Documented motor impairments and medical condition(s) that prohibit physical exercise
Those who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant

Study Design

Enrollment

50 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Moderate-Intensity Exercise

other: Low-Intensity Exercise

Control

Interventions

Moderate-Intensity Exercise

Participants will engage in 20 minutes of cycling at approximately 70% max heart rate with a 2.5 minute warm up and a 2.5 minute cool down.

Low-Intensity Exercise

Participants will engage in 20 minutes of cycling at approximately 40-50% max heart rate with a 2.5 minute warm up and a 2.5 minute cool down.

Primary outcome measure

Cognitive flexibility will be assessed using a probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) task called the Lucky Picture Selection Game. [ Time Frame: Cognitive flexibility will be initially measured on day 1. Follow-up administrations will be completed 7-10 days later after the exercise intervention during session 2. ]
Symptom reactivity will be assessed using the Braga Obsessive Compulsive Symptom Image Set (BOCI). [ Time Frame: Symptom reactivity will be initially measured on day 1. Follow-up administrations will be completed 7-10 days later after the exercise intervention during session 2. ]
Exercise intensity will be measured using a PolarTech chest-strap HR monitor. [ Time Frame: Exercise intensity will be measured during 7-10 days after baseline, during session 2. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Emily Weiss, PhD

203-858-1225 emily.weiss@yale.edu

Locations

Temple Medical Center

Recruiting

New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06511

Contacts

Emily Weiss, PhD

emily.weiss@yale.edu

Principal Investigator:

Thomas Adams, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Yale University

Last update posted

Jul 2, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2025

Keywords

Anxiety Disorders
Mental Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-11. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Yale University on 2026-07-02.