AUTHOR=Ribeiro Jéssica Alves , Schuch Felipe Barreto , Tonello Laís , Meneghel Vargas Kleber F. , Oliveira-Junior Silvio A. , Müller Paulo T. , Boullosa Daniel 

TITLE=Effectiveness of short sprint interval training in women with major depressive disorder: a proof-of-concept study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1356559

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1356559

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=High-intensity intermitent training has emerged as an op�on for trea�ng major depressive disorder (MDD). However, short sprint training (sSIT), an efficient HIIT modality, has not been tested yet for this purpose. The sSIT has been proven to induce the same metabolic adapta�ons, with the advantage of promo�ng lower muscle fa�gue than other HIIT protocols. Seventeen adult women diagnosed with moderate/severe MDD were randomly allocated into a sSIT group (n=9) or a control condi�on (n=8). The sSIT group completed, over two weeks, six 6-10-min sessions which consisted of 3-12 "all out" sprints of 5 s interspersed with low-intensity recovery of 30-45 s. The week before and a�er the interven�on, both groups were evaluated with the Hamilton Depression Ra�ng Scale of 21-itens (HAM-D21), and for physical fitness and incidental physical ac�vity. The sSIT group exhibited significant improvements for HAM-D21 scores (24.6±8.2 vs. 16.8±10.1), maximum aerobic power (140±15 vs. 155±15 W), countermovement jump (13.0±3.4 vs. 14.9±3.1 cm), % of body fatness (32.4±4.4 vs. 29.3±3.8%), and 4-days number of steps (13,626±11,309 vs. 16,643±15,371)  a�er the training period when compared to the control group. Less than 1 hour of a sSIT protocol over two weeks have demonstrated to reduce depressive symptoms, while improving aerobic fitness and body composi�on, and increasing incidental physical ac�vity in a sample of women diagnosed with MDD.