Schwefel M K, Kaufmann C, Gutmann G, Henze R, Fydrich T, Rapp M A, Ströhle A, Heissel A, Heinzel S
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
J Affect Disord. 2025 Mar 1;372:269-278. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.12.016. Epub 2024 Dec 3.
Deficits in working memory (WM) are common in patients with Major Depression Disorder (MDD). Previous research mainly in healthy adults indicated that physical exercise training may improve cognitive functions by stimulating neuronal plasticity particularly in hippocampal structures. Thus, the goal of this functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study was to examine alterations in neuronal activity during a WM task and to investigate changes in brain volume and functioning following a physical exercise training in patients with MDD with a specific focus on hippocampal structures.
86 (39 female) MDD outpatients (average age 37.3), diagnosed by clinical psychologists, were randomly assigned to one of three groups for a 12-week intervention: High intensity exercise training (HEX), low intensity exercise training (LEX) or waiting list control group (WL). An n-back task (with WM loads of 0, 1, 2, and 3) during fMRI was conducted before and after interventions/waiting period.
Both exercise groups showed better performance and shorter reaction times at higher WM loads after 12-weeks of physical exercise training. Specifically in the HEX, we found an improvement in physical fitness and an increase in neural activation in the left hippocampus as compared to the WL following the exercise training. Training-related structural volume changes in gray matter or hippocampus were not detected.
Our results partly support the hypothesis that physical exercise training positively affects WM functions by improving neuronal plasticity in hippocampal regions. Exercise training seems to be a promising intervention to improve deficient WM performance in patients with MDD.
Neurobiological correlates and mechanisms of the augmentation of psychotherapy with endurance exercise in mild to moderate depression - SPeED, http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=DRKS00008869, DRKS00008869.
工作记忆（WM）缺陷在重度抑郁症（MDD）患者中很常见。先前主要针对健康成年人的研究表明，体育锻炼训练可能通过刺激神经元可塑性，特别是在海马结构中，来改善认知功能。因此，这项功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究的目的是检查WM任务期间神经元活动的变化，并调查MDD患者进行体育锻炼训练后脑容量和功能的变化，特别关注海马结构。
86名（39名女性）由临床心理学家诊断的MDD门诊患者（平均年龄37.3岁）被随机分配到三组之一，进行为期12周的干预：高强度运动训练（HEX）、低强度运动训练（LEX）或等待列表对照组（WL）。在干预/等待期前后进行fMRI期间的n-back任务（WM负荷为0、1、2和3）。
经过12周的体育锻炼训练后，两个运动组在较高WM负荷下均表现出更好的性能和更短的反应时间。具体而言，与运动训练后的WL组相比，在HEX组中，我们发现身体健康状况有所改善，左侧海马体的神经激活增加。未检测到与训练相关的灰质或海马体结构体积变化。
我们的结果部分支持了这样的假设，即体育锻炼训练通过改善海马区域的神经元可塑性对WM功能产生积极影响。运动训练似乎是改善MDD患者WM表现缺陷的一种有前景的干预措施。
轻度至中度抑郁症中耐力运动增强心理治疗的神经生物学相关性和机制 - SPeED，http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=DRKS00008869，DRKS00008869 。
