Physical activity and brain health in former athletes and sedentary adults

The Link Between Strength and Endurance Training and Brain Health in Healthy Adults: A Comparative Study of Former Professional Athletes and Sedentary Individuals

This project will see if former athletes who continue regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise have better brain structure and biomarkers than adults who are mostly sedentary.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Ages: 40 Years to 75 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Technical University of Madrid (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Madrid, Madrid)
• Trial ID: NCT07025070 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a cross-sectional observational comparison of former competitive athletes who still exercise regularly and adults who are sedentary. The study uses a multiscale approach, combining neuropsychological testing, neuroimaging, peripheral blood biomarkers, and genetic analyses to characterize brain health. Participants must have maintained their activity or sedentary pattern for at least six months and have no history of major neurological, psychiatric, or serious medical conditions. All testing is performed at the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INEF) in Madrid.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants are adults without neurological or psychiatric disorders who are either former athletes exercising at least three days per week or sedentary individuals doing less than 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, with both lifestyles maintained for at least six months.

Not a fit: People with diagnosed neurological disease, recent severe head injury, heavy alcohol use, chronic use of sedating medications, significant sensory impairments, or other serious medical conditions are unlikely to benefit and are excluded.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If positive, findings could support using regular physical activity as a strategy to protect brain structure and biomarkers linked to neurodegeneration.

How similar studies have performed: Previous observational studies have linked higher physical activity to better cognitive and brain imaging measures, but causal effects and long-term benefits remain incompletely proven.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Group A: ex-athletes and continue to perform regular physical exercise (minimum 3 days/week of moderate-vigorous intensity).
* Group B: sedentary individuals, (i.e., perform \<150 min of moderate intensity exercise per week or IPAQ score\<600 MET min/week).
* In both groups (A and B) the conditions of physical exercise or sedentary lifestyle must have been maintained for at least 6 months prior to the evaluations.
* Not having a history of neurological or psychiatric disorder or suffering from a serious medical condition

Exclusion Criteria:

* Medical conditions that have a high risk of associated cognitive symptoms.
* Severe head injury with loss of consciousness within the previous 5 years.
* Alcoholism (\>3 alcoholic drinks per day).
* Chronic use of anxiolytics, neuroleptics, narcotics, anticonvulsants, or sedative hypnotics.
* Hearing or visual impairment that would preclude testing
* History of neurological disease with clinically relevant impact on cognition (e.g. cerebrovascular disease).
* Incidental structural brain findings with impact on cognitive impairment or survival (e.g., malignant brain tumor).
* Presence of severe systemic disease (e.g., cancer under treatment).
* Consumption of anabolic substances.
* Problems understanding spoken or written Spanish.
* Those with pacemakers or metallic implants that may interfere with the MRI.

Where this trial is running

Madrid, Madrid

• Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INEF) — Madrid, Madrid, Spain (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Songxin Tang

Conditions: Alzheimer Disease, Inactivity, Preventive Therapy, physical activity