One 20-Minute workout may boost emotional control in PTSD
NCT ID NCT05643716
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether a single 20-minute aerobic exercise session could help women with PTSD symptoms regulate emotions and improve cognitive control. Sixty-seven women were randomly assigned to either exercise or silent sitting. Researchers measured brain activity and self-reported emotional responses before and after. The goal is to understand if exercise can be a helpful tool for managing PTSD-related challenges.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aerobic exercise
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward exercise as a simple, drug-free way to help people with PTSD manage emotions and focus better.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 67 participants, all women. It tests just one bout of exercise, so any benefits may be short-lived or not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
67 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Mar 2024
- Finished
-
Mar 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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.
- Ages
-
18 to 45 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Female Adults who are currently experiencing clinically significant PTSD symptoms. Participants will be screened via Qualtrics using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013). The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-administered questionnaire designed to screen for PTSD. The PCL-5 asks about the frequency of PTSD symptoms experienced in the past month using a 5-point Likert scale. Participants with a total score \> 30 on the PCL-5 will be eligible to participate. Exclusion Criteria: * Using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q; Adams, 1999), participants will be excluded if they endorse any history of cardiovascular (e.g., Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure) or metabolic disease (e.g., Diabetes), or any orthopedic limitations (e.g., Osteoporosis) that may interfere with participating in aerobic exercise. * Additionally, participants must not have a history of head trauma resulting in loss of consciousness for more than 5 min, epilepsy, or hearing, visual, or other physical or mental impairments that could interfere with the collection of quality neurocognitive data.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cognitive control are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, 48823, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can teens learn to rewire their brain to stop Self-Harm?
- Can a personalized mix of nerve stimulation and therapy rewire the brain for better mental health?
- Can a therapist on a screen ease both trauma and pain?
- Writing as medicine: can words soothe chronic pain?
- Can a light headset and coconut oil make your brain work better?
- Texts at the right moment may curb Alcohol-Fueled partner violence