Multiple Sclerosis
Conditions
Keywords
exercise, MRI, walking
Brief summary
The project will involve a within-subjects, repeated-measures research design. Participants will initially be screened for relevant inclusion/exclusion criteria for maximizing safety of participating in an exercise study. If a participant meets those inclusion/exclusion criteria, they will visit Kessler Foundation three times. The first visit will involve a baseline session where participants will complete several cognitive tests. This will be followed by a training session, where participants will be provided with a FitBit, and will be trained by research staff to walk at a rate of 100 steps per minute. Once participants demonstrate proficiency at walking at this rate using the FitBit, participants will complete several questionnaires, followed by a maximal, graded exercise test to determine cardiorespiratory fitness. One week later, participants will return to Kessler Foundation to complete 1 of 2 experimental sessions that will be delivered in a random order that further will be counterbalanced across participants (to minimize the potential effects of session order on brain function and blood flow, respectively). Both experimental sessions will follow the same structure. First, participants will undertake a 30-minute MRI scan at Kessler Foundation to measure brain function and brain blood flow. Immediately following the MRI scan, participants will engage in either 20 minutes of treadmill walking exercise or 20 minutes of overground walking exercise at a rate of 100 steps per minute. Immediately following the 20-minute exercise bouts, participants will undertake another MRI scan for measuring brain function and brain blood flow. Participants will return to Kessler Foundation a third time to complete the opposite experimental session that was not completed during the second visit (i.e., overground walking exercise if treadmill walking exercise was completed during the second visit). In total, each participant will undergo four MRI scans over the course of the study (i.e., pre-treadmill, post-treadmill, pre-overground, post-overground). .
Interventions
BEHAVIORALModerate intensity walking exercise
For each intervention arm, participants will be walking at a moderate intensity, determined based on a step rate of approximately 100 steps per minute (measured by a Fitbit)
Sponsors
Kessler Foundation
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Intervention model description
Participants will complete two single bouts of walking exercise. One bout of walking exercise involves walking at a moderate intensity over ground, and the other bout of walking exercise involves walking at a moderate intensity on a treadmill. The order of walking exercise bouts will be randomly determined and counterbalanced across participants. Before and after each bout of walking exercise, participants will complete an MRI scan to measure brain connectivity and brain blood flow.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Clinically-definite MS diagnosis * Relapse-free for at least 30 days * Low risk for contraindications for exercise testing * Low risk for contraindications for MRI * Historically physically inactive prior to MS diagnosis * Historically highly physically active prior to MS diagnosis
Exclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of uncontrolled major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder I or II, or substance use disorders * Taking medications that can affect cognition (e.g., antipsychotics, benzodiazepines) * Historically moderately physically active prior to MS diagnosis
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Function | Weeks 2 and 3 | MRI-measured resting-state functional connectivity of the thalamus with other areas of the brain |
| Brain Blood Flow | Weeks 2 and 3 | MRI-measured cerebral blood flow perfusion in the left and right hemispheres |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed