Dr. Stephen Rao, PhD, who is a co-investigator in the CADRC Clinical Core and Dr. Jay Alberts, PhD, a kinesiologist with specialization in the field of motor control have been awarded a 5-year NIH research grant for a randomized controlled trial which aims to study the impact of a home based, high intensity exercise program in healthy older adults between the ages of 65 and 80 years, who have a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but do not have any memory concerns. The CYCLE-AD trial will recruit healthy sedentary APOE e4 carriers and randomize them to one of two groups: 1) an Indoor Cycling (IC) group that participates in high-intensity interval training in their home using a commercially available Peloton® cycling system or 2) a Usual and Customary Care (UCC) group, in which participants engage in their habitual level of physical activity.
Research has shown that physical activity plays a neuroprotective role in delaying the progression of AD in APOE e4 carriers. The CYCLE-AD trial will further explore the impact of home based, high intensity exercise program on the cognitive function, physical function, and brain imaging of healthy APOE e4 carriers. The successful translation and demonstration of the effectiveness of a scalable, home-based, high intensity exercise program capable of slowing or delaying disease onset will seek to transform AD treatment and improve patient outcomes and quality of life, while reducing health care costs.
Both Dr. Rao and Dr. Alberts are Cleveland Clinic Foundations researchers who are leading the The CYCLE‐AD (CYcling to Cease or Limit the Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease) project conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Cleveland, Ohio. All study visits and appointments will occur at the Mellen Center on the Main Campus of Cleveland Clinic.