Aerobic Exercise Decreases Negative Affect by Modulating Orbitofrontal-Amygdala Connectivity in Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Long-term negative affect in adolescence is linked to impaired quality of life and social functioning.
• The precise mechanisms by which physical exercise alleviates negative emotions are not well understood.
• Acute exercise offers a controlled method to investigate the neural underpinnings of exercise's effects on negative affect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the neural mechanisms through which acute exercise influences negative affect in late adolescence.
• To examine the functional connectivity of the amygdala before and after moderate-intensity exercise.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three adolescent males were randomly assigned to an acute exercise group (AG) or a control group.
• Participants underwent resting-state fMRI scans and completed mood assessments (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Profile of Mood State) pre- and post-intervention.
• Functional connectivity (FC) analysis focused on the bilateral amygdala as a seed region.

Main Results:

• The acute exercise group (AG) showed increased functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the right orbital frontal cortex (rOFC).
• AG participants reported significantly decreased negative affect.
• The enhanced rOFC-amygdala connectivity correlated with reduced depression scores.

Conclusions:

• Acute exercise may decrease negative affect in adolescents by modulating functional connectivity between the amygdala and the orbital frontal cortex.
• These findings suggest that exercise impacts emotional regulation through interactions involving cognitive control and limbic networks.
• This research provides valuable insights for clinical interventions targeting emotional disorders in adolescents.