If you want to cry, just move! German study: Exercise reduces depression symptoms and increases neuroplasticity
Depression makes people lose motivation and affects 260 million people worldwide
Always feeling depressed, unmotivated, and losing interest in everything around life is one of the main symptoms of depression. Adults are at a higher risk of suffering from depression (or Major Depressive Disorder, MDD) than the average person. Think higher. According to statistics, as many as 264 million people worldwide are currently suffering from depression, which is a common disease that affects adult health. The latest German research believes that appropriate exercise training can reduce symptoms of depression and improve neuroplasticity of patients’ brains.
The psychiatry and psychotherapy research team of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) in Germany gathered 41 patients with depression who were being treated in the hospital. The research team divided the subjects into two groups. One group underwent 3 weeks of exercise training. The types of exercise included endurance exercise, resistance exercise, and coordination exercise. These exercises were all conducted in a team-based manner and did not involve competition or testing. form.
Study author Karin Rosenkranz, associate professor at Ruhr University Bochum, pointed out that the exercise method for patients with depression emphasizes teamwork and fun. On the one hand, it stimulates the motivation of the subjects and gives a sense of team cohesion. On the other hand, it eliminates their previous concerns about physical activities. negative experiences and fears.
Exercise reduces symptoms of depression and improves neuroplasticity
Before and after the exercise test, it was found that subjects who participated in exercise showed a decrease in major measures of depression, such as loss of interest in things, lack of motivation, and negative emotions. More importantly, subjects who performed exercise training experienced positive changes in “neuroplasticity.”
Neuroplasticity, which involves the connections between neurons, has profound effects on the brain’s ability to change, Rosenkranz said. It is generally found that the neuroplasticity of patients with depression is lower than that of healthy normal people. After taking an exercise program, the neuroplasticity of the subjects is enhanced. This shows that physical activity can not only improve the external symptoms of depression, but also improve the symptoms of depression. It can also have a positive effect on the brain’s ability to change.
Previous literature has pointed out that physical activity (PA) is related to neuroplasticity, and higher neuroplasticity is a protective factor against depression. In the past, studies on exercise improving depression were mostly measured by clinical parameters, such as patients’ self-ratings. This study used instruments such as cranial magnetic stimulation to measure the neurobiological parameters of subjects before and after, including changes in neuronal excitability and motor cortex plasticity in the brain, further confirming the impact of exercise on the brains of patients with depression.
Increased neuroplasticity may help treat depression
Rosenkranz explained that although the results of this study cannot establish a direct causal relationship between changes in depression symptoms and the brain’s ability to change. However, exercise does promote neuronal connections in the brain, helping to improve attention and executive function. He also mentioned that most of the patients in the trial may have been living a “sedentary” lifestyle for a long time before being admitted to the hospital. Research suggests that interventions that increase neuroplasticity, such as appropriate and appropriate physical activity, should receive more attention in the treatment of depression.
In fact, it is quite common to use instruments to stimulate brain areas and activate the brain areas and neural circuits that are dysregulated during depression. Most advanced countries have approved “repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)” as a standard therapy for the treatment of depression. Taiwan The Ministry of Health and Welfare also approved in 2018 that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can be used to treat depression that does not respond well to medication. The scope of indications approved abroad also includes chronic pain, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, behavioral addiction, autism, migraines, etc.
