NCT07385118

Daily Fluctuations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognition: Effects of Vigorous Exercise

Daily Fluctuations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognitive Performance: Effects of Acute Physical Exercise

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Padova · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Cognitive functions are fundamental to everyday life, underpinning the mental processes required to perform any activity. Recent studies have shown that improved cognitive performance is associated with elevated levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can be increased through an acute bout of physical activity. However, daily variations of BDNF serum and plasma remain poorly characterised and are not fully understood, and their correlation with daily variations in cognitive performance has not been previously explored. This study examines: 1\) the correlation between daily BDNF fluctuations and cognitive performance. 2) whether a single session of exercise can elevate BDNF levels and lead to measurable cognitive improvements.

Conditions

• BDNF

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Exercise	A five-minute bout of exercise at high intensity (75% of HRmax) repeated for two rounds with a minute rest between rounds. The bout consists of 5 exercises: BW squat, jumping jacks, lunges, crunches and step up. The modality is, in one minute for every exercise, 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-01
• Primary completion: 2025-12-23
• Completion: 2025-12-23
• First posted: 2026-02-03
• Last updated: 2026-02-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Italy