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Brain Blood Flow and Lactate in Non-obese and Obese Subjects

Cerebral Lactate Uptake and Transport in Obese and Non-Obese Individuals

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06791837
Enrollment
24
Registered
2025-01-24
Start date
2025-05-01
Completion date
2027-03-01
Last updated
2025-11-26

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

Conditions

Diabetes, Obesity

Keywords

lactate, obesity, exercise

Brief summary

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is essential for maintaining brain health and function, as it ensures delivery oxygen and nutrients necessary to support neuronal activity. Reduced CBF can impair the brain's ability to meet its metabolic demands, leading to deficits in cognitive ability. Impairments in CBF are associated with cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's and dementia. Many factors influence CBF, but recently lactate has emerged as a key player. Blood glucose has long been considered the primary fuel for the brain, but emerging evidence indicates that lactate may be the preferred fuel for neurons, and lactate may become even more important under stressful conditions. Individuals with obesity often have impaired lactate metabolism resulting in higher resting blood lactate concentrations and reduced ability to clear lactate after a physiological stress. At the same time, it is known that exercise is a powerful intervention for improving lactate metabolism. Thus, this project seeks to investigate the role of lactate in brain blood flow in individuals with and without obesity as well as establish if short term exercise training (individuals with obesity only) will alter circulating lactate concentrations at rest and in response to exercise.

Detailed description

Blood lactate is often considered a waste product from aerobic metabolism. Many people assume it causes fatigue and muscle. Lactate is a signaling molecule in the body. In addition lactate is also a fuel. Evidence supports that lactate may be more important when the brain is stressed. We also know that individuals with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes may have impaired lactate metabolism. The investigators will compare brain blood flow and lactate response to an exercise stress test and submaximal exercise in obese and non-obese individuals.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEXERCISE

each group will undergo a max test and a submaximal exercise test

Sponsors

University of Missouri-Columbia
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

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). \-

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
brain blood flowover the 30 minutes of testingUsing transcranial doppler we will measure brain blood flow

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
lactate concentrationsover ~ 60 minutes of testingLactate will be measured in response to an exercise stress test as well as to a submaximal exercise bout

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactMatt McDonald, MS
mjmdr4@missouri.edu6185815501
Backup ContactJill Kanaley, PhD
kanaleyj@missouri.edu5738822519

Outcome results

None listed

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