Acute Aerobic Exercise and Neuroplasticity in Depression

NCT02839837 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Pro#00050872
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 38
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Depression is associated with a disruption in the mechanisms that regulate neuroplasticity. Effective treatment and rehabilitation of depression, and other neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, relies on neuroplasticity. Thus, identifying therapies that enhance neuroplasticity (neuroplastic adaptation) are vital in the comprehensive treatment of depression. Aerobic exercise training has been demonstrated to have antidepressant properties and single bouts of aerobic exercise may provide short-term improvements in affective states in depression. Furthermore, acute aerobic exercise may enhance the response to known neuroplasticity-inducing paradigms. However, it is unclear if aerobic exercise can influence neuroplasticity in depression and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acute neuroplastic changes are not well understood in depressed and healthy cohorts. Thus, the purpose of this project is to examine the acute effects of aerobic exercise on neuroplastic, neurobiological, and mood indices of depression.

Conditions

Depression; Depressive Disorder

Keywords

Depression; Depressive Disorder; Exercise; Neuroplasticity; Non-invasive brain stimulation; Healthy Control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in peak to peak MEP amplitude (mV)

  From baseline to one hour post-PAS

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in serum BDNF (ng/ml)

  From baseline to one hour post-exercise

• Change in serum cortisol (ng/ml)

  From baseline to one hour post-exercise

Study Arms (1)

Depressed and non-depressed controls

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants will participate in three different conditions: Low intensity aerobic exercise and paired associative stimulation, high intensity aerobic exercise and paired associative stimulation, no exercise control and paired associative stimulation. The order of conditions will be randomized.

Behavioral: Aerobic Exercise; Device: Paired Associative Stimulation

Interventions

Aerobic Exercise BEHAVIORAL

Aerobic exercise will be performed on a stationary cycle ergometer for 15 minutes at an intensity of 35% heart rate reserve or 70% heart rate reserve. During the control condition the participant will remain seated on the stationary cycle for 15 minutes and will not perform exercise.

Depressed and non-depressed controls

Paired Associative Stimulation DEVICE

After aerobic exercise participants will receive a paired associative stimulation (PAS) paradigm. PAS consists of paired brain and peripheral nerve stimuli. Participants will receive 200 paired stimuli. Peripheral nerve stimulation will be delivered to the median nerve at the level of the wrist via electrical stimulation at 300% perceptual threshold. Brain stimulation will be delivered via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the hand knob of the motor cortex at an intensity that elicits a 1mV response in the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis muscle. During each paired stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation will precede the TMS stimulation by 25ms.

Depressed and non-depressed controls

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• For all:
• age 18-50 year old.
• ability to provide informed consent.
• meets criteria for unipolar depression assessed using the Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
• a Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of 20 or greater
• current depressive episode began no longer than 3 years earlier
• psychoactive drug free or have maintained a stable dose of up to one antidepressant medication for four weeks prior to study participation
• does not meet criteria for unipolar depression assessed using the MINI
• a MADRS score of 6 or less
• no history or previous diagnosis of depression

You may not qualify if:

• primary diagnosis of another Axis 1 disorder
• secondary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder, cognitive disorder, substance-related disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder
• illicit drug use or alcohol abuse
• current smoker
• history of seizures
• other diagnosed neurological or musculoskeletal disorder/injury, uncontrolled cardiovascular or metabolic disease
• resting blood pressure \> 200mmHg systolic or 100mmHg diastolic
• electronic or metal implants
• current participation in a structured exercise program
• pregnancy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Medical University of South Carolina: lead

Study Sites (1)

Stroke Recovery Research Center

Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Depressive Disorder; Motor Activity

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mood Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Chris Gregory, P.T., Ph.D.

  Medical University of South Carolina

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 12, 2016
• First Posted: July 21, 2016
• Study Start: May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2018
• Study Completion: December 1, 2018
• Last Updated: January 30, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)