Effects of Intense Aerobic Exercise on the Cerebrovascular Reserve Capacity in Patients With Hemodynamically Relevant Intra- and Extracranial Stenoses

Status

Terminated

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00912561

Acronym

Exercise

Enrollment

Registered

2009-06-03

Start date

2009-06-30

Completion date

2012-12-31

Last updated

2012-02-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Stenosis

Keywords

chronic brain ischaemia, stroke prevention, exercise, physical training, Chronic, extra- or intracranial stenoses of brain supplying arteries

Brief summary

The purpose of this trial is to study the improvement of cerebral hemodynamics in high risk stroke patients with impaired Cerebrovascular Reserve (CVR) due to high grade stenosis of the internal carotid (ICA) or middle cerebral artery (MCA) by Intense Aerobic Exercise (IAEx).

Detailed description

The primary objective: Intense aerobic exercise (24/8 weeks) improves CVR \> 20% measured by Transcranial Doppler (TCD) in patients with hemodynamic relevant intra- or extracranial stenoses by enhanced cerebral arterio- and angiogenesis. Secondary objectives: Intense aerobic exercise (24/8 weeks) leads to: * an increase of Endothelial progenitor cell counts (EPCs) * qualitative and quantitative changes of endothelial markers and cytokines representing the inflammatory activity of atherosclerosis and neovascularisation * an improvement in cognitive performance and quality of life (QoL) * changes of the mean vessel size and of cerebral perfusion

Interventions

BEHAVIORALIntense aerobic exercise

3 Units (of at least 30 minutes) of intense aerobic exercise per week for 8 weeks

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* high-grade stenosis of the intra- or extracranial ICA or the MCA with ipsilateral impairment of the CVR capacity measured by TCD

Exclusion criteria

* continuous physical activity ≥ 60 min/week within the last 3 months * cerebral bleeding or ischaemic stroke \< 3 months * contraindications for spiro-ergometry, IAEx, or MRI

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
change of cerebrovascular reserve capacity	immediately after intervention of 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months Follow up

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Endothelial Progenitor Cells, cyto- and chemokines	after intervention of 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months Follow up
Neuropsychological Testing/ Quality of life	immediately after intervention of 8 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months Follow up

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026