Acute electroencephalography responses during incremental exercise in those with mental illness

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Depression, a mental illness (MI), involves behavioral withdrawal and altered frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA).
• Exercise acutely improves mood and depressive symptoms, with FAA changes observed post-exercise.
• It remains unclear if these electroencephalography (EEG) affective responses occur during or only after exercise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate EEG responses during exercise in individuals with mental health disorders (MI).
• To compare EEG activity during exercise between MI and apparently healthy (AH) groups.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one participants (19 MI, 12 AH) underwent EEG measurement at rest and during incremental exercise.
• EEG data were collected from prefrontal cortex (PFC) and motor cortex (MC) at rest, 50% ventilatory threshold (VT), and VT.

Main Results:

• EEG responses increased with exercise intensity in both groups across all bandwidths.
• No significant differences in alpha activity were found between MI and AH groups during exercise.
• Significantly higher gamma responses in the left PFC were observed in the MI group compared to the AH group.

Conclusions:

• The previously observed post-exercise alpha activity response was not detected during exercise.
• Increased left PFC gamma activity during exercise may differentiate individuals with and without MI.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurophysiological effects of exercise in mental health.