Exercise Promotes Neuroplasticity in Both Healthy and Depressed Brains: An fMRI Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: Memory impairments are a frequently reported cognitive symptom in people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) and often persist despite antidepressant therapy. Neuroimaging studies have identified abnormal hippocampal activity during memory processes in MDD. Exercise as an ad-on treatment for MDD is a promising therapeutic strategy shown to improve mood, cognitive function, and neural structure and function. To advance our understanding of how exercise impacts neural function in MDD, we must also understand how exercise impacts healthy individuals without MDD. This pilot study used a subsequent memory paradigm to investigate the effects of an eight-week exercise intervention on hippocampal function in low-active healthy (n = 8) and low-active MDD (n = 8) individuals

SUBMITTER: Gourgouvelis J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5554572 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature