Physical Activity Reduces Clinical Symptoms and Restores Neuroplasticity in Major Depression

June 9, 2021| https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.660642

Commentary

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental disorder and has been discussed as a neuroplasticity deficit.

Therefore, striving for physical activity (PA) may increase neuroplasticity and improve the clinical symptoms of MDD, but it is unclear whether this clinical effect is due to the restoration of insufficient neuroplasticity in MDD. The study was designed to investigate the effects of a PA program.

After the intervention, BDI-II and HAMD-17 were found to decrease significantly in both groups, but the decrease in HAMD-17 was found to be significantly stronger in the PA group. However, cognition and motor excitability did not differ between the groups and were not altered by either intervention.

These and other measurements, in summary, confirm that PA improves MDD symptoms and restores inadequate neuroplasticity.

Importantly, both changes were strongly related to individual patient levels, a result that underscores the important role of neuroplasticity in pathophysiology and the clinical relevance of neuroplasticity-enhancing interventions for the treatment of MDD.