The Effects of an Acute High-intensity Exercise on Heart and Brain Function in People With Spinal Cord Injury
Key facts
- Who runs it
- State University of New York at Buffalo
- Where
- Buffalo, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Completed
- People taking part
- 30 people enrolled
- Started
- 14 Feb 2024
- Ended
- 31 Jul 2025
- Type of study
- Observational, 2 groups
- Treatments tested
- High-intensity interval exercise
- Record updated
- 3 September 2025
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years to 70 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Can take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 11 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Diagnosed with a traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury and have ≥4/5 strength in at least one cervical 5 myotome (elbow flexors), allowing to utilize the arm ergometer and level of injury at or above the 6th thoracic vertebra
- Classified as A, B, C, D (motor and sensory complete or incomplete) on the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS)
- Longer than 6 months post the onset of injury and have been discharged to the community from inpatient rehabilitation prior to enrollment
- English is the first language
- At least one of the cerebral arteries (i.e., middle cerebral artery and/or posterior cerebral artery) can be found via transcranial Doppler
Who cannot take part
- Medical conditions that preclude exercise, such as unstable angina, uncontrolled arrhythmias, a recent history of congestive heart failure that has not been evaluated and effectively treated, severe valvular disease, uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., resting systolic blood pressure ≥ 160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 105 mmHg)
- Diabetes
- Moderate-severe traumatic brain injury
- Color blindness
- Pre-existing shoulder injuries
- Pregnancy
Where in United States
- University at Buffalo, South CampusBuffalo, United StatesNo longer taking part
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The heart and brain are regulated by the autonomic nervous system. Control of these organs can be disrupted in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). This may affect their ability to regulate blood pressure during daily activities and process the high-level information. Previous studies show that high-intensity exercise induces better outcomes on heart and information processing ability in non-injured people compared to moderate-intensity exercise. However, it is unknown the effects of high-intensity exercise on heart and brain function in people with SCI. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of a single bout of high-intensity interval training on heart and brain function in this people with SCI compared to age- and sex-matched non-injured controls.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Spinal Cord Injury
This group includes people with spinal cord injury and the level of injury is at the 6th thoracic vertebra or above.
Treatment: High-intensity interval exercise
- Non-injured Controls
This group includes age- and sex-matched non-injured control participants.
Treatment: High-intensity interval exercise
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- The Effects of an Acute High-intensity Interval Training on Heart and Brain Function in People With Spinal Cord Injury
- Record updated
- 3 September 2025