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Published on: August 2, 2021
Running Therapy Reorganizes Dynamic Brain Networks Linked to Symptom Improvement in Affective Disorders
Julian Gaviria Lopez1, Guido Van Wingen2, Chris Vriend3
1Psychiatry Department, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Summary
Running therapy alters brain connectivity patterns in individuals with affective disorders. These changes in brain dynamics, particularly involving the default mode network and visual-somatosensory states, correlate with reduced anxiety and fear symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Exercise therapy, including running, is known to alleviate depressive and anxiety symptoms.
- The underlying neural mechanisms driving these improvements in affective disorders remain largely unexplored.
- Understanding these mechanisms can optimize therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how running therapy reorganizes dynamic functional brain connectivity in individuals diagnosed with affective disorders.
- To identify specific brain states and their temporal dynamics affected by running therapy.
- To correlate changes in brain connectivity with symptom improvement.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Co-activation pattern (CAP) analysis was used to identify recurring whole-brain states and their dynamics.
- Participants included 66 healthy controls and 50 individuals with affective disorders, who underwent 16 weeks of either running therapy or antidepressant treatment.
Main Results:
- Individuals with affective disorders exhibited altered baseline brain dynamics, specifically reduced occurrences and dwell time of the visual-somatosensory-subcortical CAP (VS-SCCAP).
- Running therapy led to a significant reorganization of brain dynamics, decreasing default mode CAP (DMCAP) and increasing VS-SCCAP.
- Reductions in DMCAP dynamics and transitions to VS-SCCAP were significantly associated with greater improvements in anxiety and fear symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Running therapy demonstrably reorganizes large-scale brain dynamics in individuals with affective disorders.
- The observed changes in brain connectivity, particularly involving the default mode network and visual-somatosensory states, are linked to therapeutic benefits.
- These findings highlight the neural impact of exercise on mental health and suggest specific targets for treatment.
