J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2018 May;57(2):139-144. 10.4306/jknpa.2018.57.2.139.

Antidepressive Effects of Exercise

• Park SC

• KMID: 2419261
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2018.57.2.139

Abstract

Exercise is considered as one of the therapeutic options. in many major treatment guidelines for depression In terms of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, it has been suggested that the antidepressive effects of exercise can be explained by the increased hippocampal volume associated with an increased level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, there have been no significant effects of exercise on cognitive functions in depression. Exercise has been used based on substantial evidence in the context of its therapeutic efficacy in depression. In personalized medicine, various potential mediators for the relationship between exercise and depressive symptoms should be controlled. Since it has been consistently reported that exercise has no significant therapeutic effects on cognitive domains in depression, it is necessary that the efficacy of exercise on cognitive domains should be evaluated with rigorous methodology. Furthermore, it has been suggested that exercise has potentially positive effects in the prevention of depression. Despite the controversies regarding supporting evidence, it is concluded that exercise may be regarded as a "safe and broad-spectrum antidepressant" and used in the context of "prevention and treatment of depression."

Keyword

Antidepressive effects; Depression; Exercise; Prevention; Treatment

MeSH Terms

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Cognition
Depression
Precision Medicine
Therapeutic Uses
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Therapeutic Uses

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Modeling for the associations among exercise, BDNF, and depression.17,18) BDNF : Brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

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