The Role of Brain Lactate Metabolism in Neuroprotection During Healthy Aging | NCT07731451

NCT07731451

Overview

NCT ID: NCT07731451
Lead Sponsor: Northern Arizona UniversityOTHER
Official Title: Effects of Lactate on Brain Carbohydrate Metabolism in Healthy Aging
Brief Summary: The brain's primary source of fuel is glucose. Unfortunately, the brain's ability to use glucose declines during normal aging. This decline in brain glucose metabolism makes it vulnerable to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The brain can use another fuel source - lactate - which becomes available to the brain during exercise. The investigators have discovered that when lactate fuels the brain, brain glucose metabolism also improves. Essentially, from a metabolic angle, the brain appears younger. Recently, the investigators have shown that lactate - even in the absence of exercise - stimulates this beneficial effect on the brain. The investigators propose to compare the effects of lactate in healthy young and older adults to test whether these beneficial lactate-mediated effects persist throughout the lifespan, thereby providing a blueprint to restore youthful brain glucose metabolism.
Conditions

Ages Eligible for Study: Adult (18-64)Older Adult (65+)
Sexes Eligible for Study: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Yes
Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Meet the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) physical activity guidelines for moderate-intensity aerobic activity, i.e., 150+ minutes of moderate or 75+ minutes of rigorous aerobic activity.

The older cohort must have adhered to these physical activity guidelines for 30+ years.

"Good" or "Excellent" aerobic fitness category based on ACSM standardized maximal aerobic power (V̇O2max) values for age and sex.

Exclusion Criteria:

Need for daily medication for chronic conditions, diagnosed heart, lung, metabolic or cerebrovascular disease, smokers, pregnancy and women in perimenopause are exclusion criteria; these will be verified with questionnaires and preliminary screening.

Significant carotid plaque will be excluded via ultrasound assessment.

Evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

Personal complaints of memory deficits, clinical diagnosis, or evidence from the NIH ToolBox ®V3 will be considered signs of MCI.

Adverse responses to maximal exercise, or an inability to complete maximal exercise during fitness screening will also be exclusion criteria.

known allergy to Lidocaine also cannot participate.

Central Contacts: TRAVIS GIBBONS, PhDContact
travis.gibbons@nau.edu17785836976