RT journal article T1 Effects of a laboratory-based aerobic exercise intervention on brain volume and cardiovascular health markers: protocol for a randomised clinical trial A1 Molina Hidalgo, C. A1 Collins, A. M. A1 Crisafio, M. E. A1 Grove, G. A1 Kamarck, T. W. A1 Kang, C. A1 Leckie, R. L. A1 MacDonald, M. A1 Manuck, S. B. A1 Marsland, A. L. A1 Muldoon, M. F. A1 Rasero, J. A1 Scudder, M. R. A1 Velázquez Díaz, Daniel A1 Verstynen, T. A1 Wan, L. A1 Gianaros, P. J. A1 Erickson, Kirk I. A2 Didáctica de la Educación FísicaPlástica y Musical K1 clinical physiology K1 magnetic resonance imaging K1 preventive medicine K1 public health K1 sports medicine AB INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on brain health and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Yet, we know little about whether PA-induced changes to physiological mediators of CVD risk influence brain health and whether benefits to brain health may also explain PA-induced improvements to CVD risk. This study combines neurobiological and peripheral physiological methods in the context of a randomised clinical trial to better understand the links between exercise, brain health and CVD risk. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this 12-month trial, 130 healthy individuals between the ages of 26 and 58 will be randomly assigned to either: (1) moderate-intensity aerobic PA for 150 min/week or (2) a health information control group. Cardiovascular, neuroimaging and PA measurements will occur for both groups before and after the intervention. Primary outcomes include changes in (1) brain structural areas (ie, hippocampal volume); (2) systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses to functional MRI cognitive stressor tasks and (3) heart rate variability. The main secondary outcomes include changes in (1) brain activity, resting state connectivity, cortical thickness and cortical volume; (2) daily life SBP stress reactivity; (3) negative and positive affect; (4) baroreflex sensitivity; (5) pulse wave velocity; (6) endothelial function and (7) daily life positive and negative affect. Our results are expected to have both mechanistic and public health implications regarding brain-body interactions in the context of cardiovascular health. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (IRB ID: 19020218). This study will comply with the NIH Data Sharing Policy and Policy on the Dissemination of NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Information and the Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission rule. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03841669. PB BMJ Publishing Group SN 2044-6055 YR 2023 FD 2023 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31413 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31413 LA eng DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz RD 12-nov-2026