Molecular and Functional Neurobiology of Physical Exercise

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02615756

Acronym

EXEBRAIN

Enrollment

Registered

2015-11-26

Start date

2013-04-30

Completion date

2018-06-30

Last updated

2021-03-09

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

Conditions

Physical Exercise Behavior (Liking/Aversion)

Brief summary

In this study, we use positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain mechanisms that contribute to physical exercise-induced reward. We examine whether acute physical exercise releases endogenous opioids in the brain, and whether it modulates brain responses to viewing appetizing foods. Unraveling these mechanism are instrumental from a public health perspective, given the undisputed positive health effects of physical exercise.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALExercise

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Native Finnish speaker 2. Age \> 18 years 3. Western Caucasian origin

Exclusion criteria

1. Age \< 18 or \> 65 2. History or current mental disorder 3. BMI \> 27 kg/m2 4. Use of drugs that influence the central nervous system, including nicotine 5. Poor compliance 6. Any chronic medical defect or injury which hinder or interfere everyday life 7. Eating disorder 8. Current or past excessive use of alcohol or substance abuse 9. Past dose of radiation from medical research such that the annual effective dose will exceed 10 mSv 10. Any other condition that in the opinion of the investigator could create a hazard to the subject safety, endanger the study procedures or interfere with the interpretation of study results 11. Presence of any ferromagnetic objects that would make MR imaging contraindicated

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Binding of [11C]carfentanil in brain confirmed by positron emission tomography	Baseline and 20 min after physical exercise completion	Change in binding of \[11C\]carfentanil in baseline and 20 min after physical exercise completion

Countries

Finland

Outcome results

None listed

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