Where you exercise could shape your brain health in old age
NCT ID NCT07728786
First seen Jul 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether exercising outdoors versus indoors affects thinking skills like attention, memory, and planning in healthy adults aged 60 and older. Researchers will compare two groups of older adults who already exercise regularly in different settings. The goal is to see if the exercise environment itself might play a role in keeping the mind sharp.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If the exercise environment proves important, it could help design better physical activity programs to support cognitive health in later life.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, so it cannot prove cause and effect. Differences in cognitive performance may be due to other factors, not just where exercise takes place.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The study population consists of older adults aged 60 and over who are actively enrolled as students at Köyceğiz Tazelenme University and Erzurum Tazelenme University in Türkiye. This population represents a unique cohort of older individuals engaged in lifelong learning and structured active aging programs. To investigate the specific role of the exercise environment on cognitive reserve, the sample will be drawn from this population using purposive sampling, selecting individuals who regularly participate in either structured outdoor or indoor physical activities. The population is structurally characterized by functionally independent older adults who exhibit homogeneous physical baseline capacities-verified via objective clinical performance benchmarks-and are free from advanced neurological or debilitating physical conditions.
- Ages
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Must be aged 60 years or older. * Must be currently enrolled as a student at Köyceğiz Tazelenme University or Erzurum Tazelenme University. * Must participate regularly in either structured outdoor or indoor physical exercises. * Must possess sufficient sensory, visual, hearing, and cognitive capacity to comprehend and complete the behavioral and cognitive tests. * Must demonstrate similar and homogenous functional physical capacity as verified by the pre-screening benchmarks of the 6-Minute Walk Test and the 30-Second Chair Stand Test. * Must provide written informed consent voluntarily. Exclusion Criteria: * Being under the age of 60. * Having a clinical diagnosis of an advanced neurological disorder, including dementia or severe cognitive impairment. * Having severe acute or chronic physical disabilities, musculoskeletal injuries, or medical conditions that medically prevent or restrict safe exercise participation. * Having severe uncorrected sensory (visual or hearing) deficits or cognitive impairments that prevent the comprehension of test instructions or completion of the assessments. * Refusing to provide written informed consent or wishing to withdraw from the evaluation process.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.