The Role of Brain Lactate Metabolism in Neuroprotection During Healthy Aging

Starting soon · Early Phase 1

Conditions studied: Aging Well, Aging

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07731451

Run by

Northern Arizona University

People needed

40

Starts

2027-01-01

Expected to finish

2029-01-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-28

Who can join

Age: 20 and older, up to 80. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 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.

You may not qualify if…

• 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.

Where it is running

• Northern Arizona University Dept of Biological Sciences — Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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