Exercise as medicine: new study tests aerobic fitness to slow memory loss
NCT ID NCT05877196
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether 6 months of supervised aerobic exercise can improve fitness, brain health, and memory in adults aged 65 and older with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. Participants will exercise, undergo memory tests, and have MRI scans over a year. The goal is to find the best exercise plan and understand how exercise affects the brain.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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About 216 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
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.
- Ages
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65 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: Participants: * Clinical diagnosis of MCI or probable and possible mild AD dementia according to 2011 Alzheimer's association-NIA criteria. * Community-dwelling, e.g., homes and assisted living * Age 65 years and older * Medical clearance from PCP or cardiovascular provider * Have a qualified study partner * Agree to the blood draws * Verified MRI safety Study Partner: * Age 18 or older * Contact with participant ≥ 2 times per week for ≥ 6 months * Know the participant's memory status and ability to perform activities of daily living * Consent to participant Exclusion Criteria: Participants * Resting HR ≤ 50 or ≥ 100 beats/min after 5-minutes of quiet resting * American College of Sports Medicine contraindications to exercise * New, unevaluated symptoms or diseases a healthcare provider has not evaluated * Abnormal cardiac condition uncovered during VO2peak testing * Enrollment in another intervention that aims at improving cognition * Moderate to strenuous exercise ≥150 minutes a week in the previous 6 months * ≥ 2 anti-depression medications, or poorly managed or unstable depression * Poorly managed or unstable anxiety Study partners: * none
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Arizona State University
RECRUITINGPhoenix, Arizona, 85004, United States
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