Brain blood flow and lactate responses in people with and without obesity
Official title: Cerebral Lactate Uptake and Transport in Obese and Non-Obese Individuals
Run by University of Missouri-Columbia · NCT06791837 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will see if exercise changes brain blood flow and blood lactate in adults with and without obesity.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 45 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 24 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of Missouri-Columbia Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Columbia, Missouri) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | March 1, 2027 |
| Study ends | March 1, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | November 26, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT06791837 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Healthy adults aged 18–45 with BMI 18–40 who are non-smokers, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and not taking medications that affect lactate or cardiovascular/autonomic function.
✕Probably not a fit
People with diabetes, major cardiovascular, neurological, hepatic, or renal disease, current smokers, or those on excluded medications are not eligible and are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Investigators will compare cerebral blood flow and blood lactate responses to an exercise stress test and a submaximal exercise bout in adults with and without obesity. The observational protocol enrolls healthy men and women aged 18–45 with BMI 18–40 and excludes people with diabetes, major cardiovascular, neurologic, hepatic or renal disease, smokers, and those on medications affecting lactate or autonomic function. Participants will complete in-person exercise sessions at the University of Missouri–Columbia with blood lactate sampling and cerebral blood flow monitoring. The aim is to clarify how obesity alters lactate metabolism and brain perfusion during and after exercise.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, results could guide exercise-based approaches to improve brain blood flow and metabolic health in people with obesity.
How similar studies have gone: Prior small studies show exercise changes blood lactate and can alter cerebral blood flow, but comparing these responses between obese and non-obese adults in this way is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: healthy adult men and women 18-45 years of age BMI 18-40 kg/m2 not pregnant, premenopausal with regular menstrual cycles not breastfeeding non-nicotine users Exclusion Criteria: medications known to affect sleep, autonomic control, blood lactate levels or metabolic, or cardiovascular function (PI discretion) self-reported history of hepatic, renal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, or neurological disease, stroke or neurovascular disease, bleeding/clotting disorders, sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, diabetes, history of alcoholism or substance abuse major cardiovascular event or surgical procedure within the past three months hypertension (\>140/90 mmHg or at PIs discretion). \-
Where it's running
-
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jill Kanaley, PhD — University of Missouri-Columbia
- Study coordinator: Matt McDonald, MS
- Email: mjmdr4@missouri.edu
- Phone: 6185815501
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.