Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD, also named as coronary heart disease) have higher risk of accelerated cognitive decline and mental disorders than the general population. There is, therefore, a need to identify effective and sustainable strategies to improve their brain health, and in this context, physical exercise can play a major role. The overall goal of the HEART-BRAIN project is to investigate the effects of exercise on brain health outcomes in patients with CAD, and its underlying mechanisms.
This three-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial will include 90 adults with CAD, aged 50-75 years old. The participants will be randomized into a: 1) wait-list control (n=30), treated as usual, including periodic medical visits and medication management, 2) usual care plus aerobic high intensity interval training (HIIT) (n=30), or 3) usual care plus aerobic HIIT plus resistance exercise (n=30). Study outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks, after completing the intervention, including some assessments at the mid-point (6 weeks) of the intervention. The primary outcome of the study is to determine changes in cerebral blood flow assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Secondary outcomes include changes in brain vascularization, cognitive measures (including general cognition and executive function) and cardiorespiratory fitness. Other health-related outcomes will be evaluated and a number of potential mediators and moderators will be investigated.
The HEART-BRAIN project will shed light on how exercise can impact brain health in patients with CAD, with a particular focus on potential mechanisms such as changes in cerebral blood flow.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06214624
This project was supported by the Grant PID2020-120249RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Additional support for human resources and equipment was received from the Andalusian Government (Junta de Andalucía, Plan Andaluz de Investigación, ref. P20_00124).
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