AUTHOR=Heggelund Jørn , Kleppe Kim Daniel , Morken Gunnar , Vedul-Kjelsås Einar 

TITLE=High Aerobic Intensity Training and Psychological States in Patients with Depression or Schizophrenia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00148

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00148

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Aim:</bold> To explore changes in psychological states in response to a bout of high aerobic intensity training (HIT) in patients with depression or schizophrenia compared to healthy individuals.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> After familiarization training of HIT, 20 patients with schizophrenia, 13 patients with depression, and 20 healthy individuals performed a no-training day followed by a training day. HIT was 4 × 4 min intervals at 85–95% of peak heart rate, intermitted by 3 min active rest periods at 70% of peak heart rate. Self-evaluation questionnaires of positive affect, negative affect, state anxiety, well-being, distress, and fatigue were completed before training, 15 min after, and 3 h after training. The two latter measures were also completed the no-training day.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> All three groups improved in positive affect and well-being 15 min after HIT (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01), but only patients with depression had maintained the effect after 3 h (<italic>p</italic> = 0.007, <italic>p</italic> = 0.012). The duration of the improved positive affect was longer in depression (<italic>p</italic> = 0.002) and schizophrenia (<italic>p</italic> = 0.025) than in healthy individuals (<italic>F</italic><sub>2.50</sub> = 5.83, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). Patients with depression or schizophrenia had reduced distress and state anxiety 15 min after HIT and 3 h after HIT (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). The improvement in distress 15 min after HIT was larger in patients with depression (<italic>p</italic> = 0.028) compared to healthy individuals (<italic>F</italic><sub>2.50</sub> = 5.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). No changes were found during the no-training day (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> High aerobic intensity training used as an acute intervention improved positive affect and well-being and reduced distress and state anxiety in patients with depression and schizophrenia.</p><p><bold>ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:</bold> NCT01310998.</p>