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Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Cerebral Hemodynamics Following Aerobic Exercise Training: Outcomes From a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial
Mitchell C, Gaitán JM, Pewowaruk RJ, Gepner AD, Hess T, Wilbrand SM, Dempsey RJ, Dougherty RJ et al.. Journal for vascular ultrasound : JVU, 2022-09-06
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Introduction An active lifestyle with regular exercise is thought to decrease or delay the onset of Alzheimer dementia through increasing blood flow to the brain. We examined the mean flow velocity (MFV) and pulsatility index (PI) in the middle cerebral arteries of individuals randomized into two groups-a Usual Physical Activity (UPA) group and an Enhanced Physical Activity (EPA) exercise intervention group-to determine if exercise training is related to changes in cerebral blood flow. Methods We examined 23 participants, randomized into a UPA group (n=12) and an EPA group (n=11), with transcranial color-coded Doppler (TCCD) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO 2 peak, mL/kg/min) testing at baseline and following a 26-week intervention. TCCD was used to measure MFV and PI. Participants in the EPA group completed supervised aerobic exercise training for 26 weeks. Kendall's tau b correlation was used to examine relationships between variables. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests were used to examine changes between the UPA and EPA groups. Results There was no significant change in MFV or PI in the UPA group or the EPA group (p-values >0.05) between baseline and 26 weeks; the change between the UPA and EPA groups was also not significant (p=0.603). There was no evidence of an association between change in VO 2 peak and change in MFV or PI (all p-values >0.05). Participants in the EPA group significantly increased their VO 2 peak compared to the UPA group (p=0.027). Conclusion This study did not demonstrate evidence of a significant change in the MFV in the middle cerebral arteries or evidence of a significant change in the PI between UPA and EPA groups. Future studies should be performed in larger cohorts and should consider use of personalized exercise programs to maximize understanding of how cerebrovascular hemodynamics change in structure and function with exercise for adults at risk for Alzheimer dementia.
Key findings
- Results There was no significant change in MFV or PI in the UPA group or the EPA group (p-values >0.05) between baseline and 26 weeks; the change between the UPA and EPA groups was also not significant (p=0.603).
- Participants in the EPA group significantly increased their VO 2 peak compared to the UPA group (p=0.027).
- Conclusion This study did not demonstrate evidence of a significant change in the MFV in the middle cerebral arteries or evidence of a significant change in the PI between UPA and EPA groups.
Why it matters
In this small pilot trial of 23 participants, 26 weeks of aerobic exercise training did not significantly change blood flow velocity or pulsatility in the middle cerebral arteries. Although fitness improved in the exercise group, this study found no evidence that exercise training changed these measures of cerebral blood flow.
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Study details
- Participants12
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal for vascular ultrasound : JVU) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Journal for Vascular Ultrasound: journal h-index 11 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 12 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.5 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Ozioma C. Okonkwo: h-index 68 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36714789) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
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APA 7th
Mitchell, C., Gaitán, J. M., Pewowaruk, R. J., Gepner, A. D., Hess, T., Wilbrand, S. M., et al. (2022). Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Cerebral Hemodynamics Following Aerobic Exercise Training: Outcomes From a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal for vascular ultrasound : JVU. https://doi.org/10.1177/15443167221099274
Vancouver
Mitchell C, Gaitán JM, Pewowaruk RJ, Gepner AD, Hess T, Wilbrand SM, et al. Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Cerebral Hemodynamics Following Aerobic Exercise Training: Outcomes From a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal for vascular ultrasound : JVU. 2022. doi:10.1177/15443167221099274. PMID: 36714789.
BibTeX
@article{mitchell2022-36714789,
author = {Mitchell, C. and Gaitán, J. M. and Pewowaruk, R. J. and Gepner, A. D. and Hess, T. and Wilbrand, S. M. and Dempsey, R. J. and Dougherty, R. J. and others},
title = {{Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Cerebral Hemodynamics Following Aerobic Exercise Training: Outcomes From a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial}},
journal = {Journal for vascular ultrasound : JVU},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1177/15443167221099274},
pmid = {36714789},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/15443167221099274}
}