Project R-16105

Time to HIIT the brain: The effects of 24 months of exercise training on cognitive function and its underlying mechanisms in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Research)

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a crucial and potentially reversible stage between normal cognitive function and dementia, warranting timely intervention. MCI is highly prevalent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and associated with increased mortality and disease burden. Moreover, structural brain changes, including reduced hippocampal volumes, are identified in COPD. Regular exercise training is a cost-effective strategy to preserve cognition and hippocampal volumes. Recently, a promising concept of supramaximal high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been developed and can delay the ventilatory limitation in COPD, allowing a 3-fold increase in exercise intensity compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Interestingly, HIIT is superior in preserving hippocampal volume and cognition compared to MICT in healthy older adults. Still, research on the effects of different exercise intensities in COPD is lacking. Therefore, this FWO application aims to: 1. Compare brain structure and activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, quadriceps function, body composition, symptoms of depression and anxiety, systemic inflammation, and neurotrophic factors in people with COPD, with versus without MCI. 2. Investigate the effects of 24 months of supramaximal HIIT compared to MICT and usual care on brain structure and activity, cognitive function, systemic inflammation, and neurotrophic factors in people with COPD.

01 November 2025 - 31 October 2029