Recruiting

Exercise & BDNF

Sponsor:

McMaster University

Code:

NCT07912307

Conditions

Exercise

BDNF

Sex Differences

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

VO2peak Test

Study Details

Brief summary:

A single bout of exercise can improve cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These functions help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand how exercise improves cognitive abilities. We believe that exercise improves the brain by increasing the amount of BDNF in the blood. BDNF is very important for learning and memory. However, we still do not know if BDNF responds differently to exercise between females and males.

The purpose of this work is to characterize potential sex-differences in the circulating BDNF response to acute exercise. We will test the hypothesis that males will have greater serum and plasma BDNF responses compared to females following a maximal exercise test.

Conditions

Exercise

BDNF

Sex Differences

Study ID

NCT07912307

Start date

Nov, 2026

Status verified date

Oct, 2026

Completion date

Feb, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between the ages of 18 and 35

Exclusion Criteria:

  • presence of type 2 diabetes
  • history of hypoglycaemia
  • history of concussion(s) with persistent symptoms
  • presence of major depressive disorder
  • history of cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization (i.e., heart attack, stroke)
  • presence of respiratory disease (e.g. asthma)
  • pre-existing injuries that prevent aerobic exercise participation.

Study Design

Enrollment

50 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: VO2peak Test

Responses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise.

Interventions

VO2peak Test

Incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer.

Primary outcome measure

  • Plasma and Serum BDNF [ Time Frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jeremy J Walsh, PhD

905-525-9140walshj18@mcmaster.ca

Locations

McMaster University

Recruiting

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8S 4K1

Contacts

Jeremy J Walsh, PhD

9055259140walshj18@mcmaster.ca

More Information

Sponsor

McMaster University

Last update posted

Nov 3, 2026

Last verified

Oct, 2026

Keywords

  • BDNF
  • sex differences
  • exercise
  • vo2peak

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-11-04. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by McMaster University on 2026-11-03. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.