Effects of a Single-bout of Moderate-intensity Aerobic Exercise on Mood and Mental Health Biomarkers in Adults with Depressive And/or Anxiety Symptoms

NCT06736067 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HSEARS20221111001-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigates whether a single session of aerobic exercise (like running) can improve the participants' mood and whether such benefits can be explained by changes in the blood factors (like hormones) and brain activity. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Can a single session of aerobic exercise improve mood?
• Which changes in the blood and brain could explain the effects of exercise on mood? Researchers will compare the participants' mood states before and after exercise to see whether exercise can improve mood. The participants will:
• Answer questionnaires, collect blood, and undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before exercise.
• Perform 30 minutes of running on a treadmill.
• Answer the same questionnaires, collect blood, and undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after exercise. The entire assessment will last for about 2h45min and will be performed on a single day.

Conditions

Healthy; Depression Symptoms; Anxiety Symptoms

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Profile of Mood States (POMS)

  POMS is a 30-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "Not at all" to "Extremely." It provides six sub≥scales: 1) anger (e.g., grouchy, furious); 2) confusion (e.g., muddled, forgetful); 3) depression (e.g., sad, unworthy); 4) fatigue (e.g., tired, sluggish); 5) tension (e.g., nervous, anxious); and 6) vigor (e.g., lively, active).

  From before to immediately after a single session of exercise

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES)

  From before to immediately after a single session of exercise

• Subject Happiness Scale (SHS)

  From before to immediately after a single session of exercise

• Blood biomarkers

  From before to immediately after a single session of exercise

• Cardiovascular parameters

  Before, during, and immediately after a single session of exercise

• BOLD-weighted fMRI images

  From before to immediately after a single session of exercise

Study Arms (1)

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Thirty minutes of exercise on a treadmill, including a 5-minute warm-up followed by increments in speed until reaching optimal moderate to high intensity (60-80% of age-predicted maximal heart rate), which will be maintained for 20 min, followed by a 5-minute cool-down. Age-predicted maximal HR will be defined as 220 beats-per-minute (BPM) minus age in years.

Behavioral: Exercise

Interventions

Exercise BEHAVIORAL

Thirty minutes of exercise on a treadmill, including a 5-minute warm-up followed by increments in speed until reaching optimal moderate to high intensity (60-80% of age-predicted maximal heart rate), which will be maintained for 20 min, followed by a 5-minute cool-down. Age-predicted maximal HR will be defined as 220 beats-per-minute (BPM) minus age in years.

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy subjects within the stipulated age range

You may not qualify if:

• Acute injury or illness that impairs the ability to safely exercise and/or inability to exercise with a moderate intensity;
• Metabolic and/or neurologic disorders;
• Iron implants;
• People who cannot stay still, are intolerant of noise or fearful of enclosed spaces (due to the small space inside the scanner).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• YAU Suk Yu Sonata: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2024
• First Posted: December 16, 2024
• Study Start: July 18, 2023
• Primary Completion: August 24, 2024
• Study Completion: August 26, 2024
• Last Updated: December 16, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Locations

HK (1)