ExerciseBDNF-SDNCT07912307
Sex Differences in BDNF Study
A study testing VO2peak Test in people with Exercise and BDNF, run by McMaster University at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
A single bout of exercise can improve cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These functions help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand how exercise improves cognitive abilities. We believe that exercise improves the brain by increasing the amount of BDNF in the blood. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Exercise, BDNF, Sex Differences
- What is being tested?
- VO2peak Test
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Nov 2026to Feb 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Between the ages of 18 and 35
Who cannot join
- presence of type 2 diabetes
- history of hypoglycaemia
- history of concussion(s) with persistent symptoms
- presence of major depressive disorder
- history of cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization (i.e., heart attack, stroke)
- presence of respiratory disease (e.g. asthma)
- pre-existing injuries that prevent aerobic exercise participation.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1
Jeremy J Walsh, PhD, 9055259140 ext. 23523, walshj18@mcmaster.ca
About this study
Official title: Investigation of Sex-differences the BDNF Response to Exercise
A single bout of exercise can improve cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These functions help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand how exercise improves cognitive abilities. We believe that exercise improves the brain by increasing the amount of BDNF in the blood. BDNF is very important for learning and memory. However, we still do not know if BDNF responds differently to exercise between females and males.
The purpose of this work is to characterize potential sex-differences in the circulating BDNF response to acute exercise. We will test the hypothesis that males will have greater serum and plasma BDNF responses compared to females following a maximal exercise test.
- Conditions
- Exercise, BDNF, Sex Differences
- Being tested
- VO2peak Test
- Keywords
- BDNF, sex differences, exercise, vo2peak
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
VO2peak TestBehavioural
Incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| VO2peak Test | Experimental | Responses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise. Receives: Behavioral: VO2peak Test |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Plasma and Serum BDNF
Measured via ELISA analysis of venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
Measured: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Secondary outcomes (4)
Platelet Count
Measured from venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
Measured: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Blood lactate
Measured from venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
Measured: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Oxygen uptake
Breath-by-breath analysis performed via metabolic cart
Measured: During incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD)
Measured via brachial artery ultrasound
Measured: At baseline and 15 and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Nov 2026
- Study startNov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionFeb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionFeb 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ExerciseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by McMaster UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Responses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jeremy J Walsh, PhD, Principal investigator, McMaster University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07912307
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BDNF-SD
- Acronym
- BDNF-SD
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 27 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 3 Nov 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The investigators will share individual patient data (de-identified) with researchers upon request
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Nov 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Investigation of Sex-differences the BDNF Response to Exercise
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07912307
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- BDNF-SD / BDNF-SD
- Conditions
- Exercise, BDNF, Sex Differences
- Keywords
- BDNF, sex differences, exercise, vo2peak
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Feb 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Feb 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 3 Nov 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
A single bout of exercise can improve cognitive abilities like memory and attention. These functions help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand how exercise improves cognitive abilities. We believe that exercise improves the brain by increasing the amount of BDNF in the blood. BDNF is very important for learning and memory. However, we still do not know if BDNF responds differently to exercise between females and males.
The purpose of this work is to characterize potential sex-differences in the circulating BDNF response to acute exercise. We will test the hypothesis that males will have greater serum and plasma BDNF responses compared to females following a maximal exercise test.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Responses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| VO2peak Test | Experimental | Behavioral: VO2peak TestResponses will be compared between males and females following a single experimental visit. Participants will complete a incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, with venous blood draws characterizing BDNF responses at baseline and during the recovery period up to 1-hour post-exercise. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Between the ages of 18 and 35
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- presence of type 2 diabetes
- history of hypoglycaemia
- history of concussion(s) with persistent symptoms
- presence of major depressive disorder
- history of cardiovascular events requiring hospitalization (i.e., heart attack, stroke)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| VO2peak TestIncremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. | Behavioural | VO2peak Test |
Primary outcome
Plasma and Serum BDNF
Time frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Measured via ELISA analysis of venous samples obtained from a forearm vein
4 secondary outcomes
Platelet Count
Time frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Blood lactate
Time frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Oxygen uptake
Time frame: During incremental ramp test to volitional exhaustion
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD)
Time frame: At baseline and 15 and 60 minutes post-exercise.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Nov 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The investigators will share individual patient data (de-identified) with researchers upon request
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jeremy J Walsh, PhD principal investigator
McMaster University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing VO2peak Test in people with Exercise and BDNF, run by McMaster University at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Nov 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jeremy J Walsh, PhD (905-525-9140 ext. 23523, walshj18@mcmaster.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Plasma and Serum BDNF (time frame: At baseline and 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes post-exercise.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Nov 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 3 Nov 2026.