Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with a number of symptoms, including cognitive dysfunction and maladaptive ruminative thought patterns. Although consistent evidence indicates that aerobic exercise is beneficial for reducing depressive symptoms in MDD, little is known about the influence of exercise on neurocognitive deficits found in depression. This is important for establishing exercise as a neurobehavioral therapy for depression, that is, an intervention that addresses biological mechanisms believed to underlie the disorder. Here, we investigated whether the N2 and P3 components of the human event-related potential (ERP) could be used to index cognitive impairments in MDD, and whether these neurophysiological measures were correlated with ruminative thought patterns. Although there were no differences in P3 amplitude by depression status, N2 amplitudes were significantly reduced in individuals with MDD relative to healthy controls, indicating that reductions were associated with higher rumination levels. These findings demonstrate that individuals with MDD may experience impaired cognitive control while attending to varying environmental stimuli. Because of our findings related to impaired cognitive control processes, we examined the neurophysiological and behavioral correlates of cognitive control during single bouts of low- and moderate-intensity exercise in healthy young adults to determine if neurocognitive function is modifiable by aerobic exercise. Importantly, acute exercise was shown to modify these ERP components, such that increased N2 and P3 amplitudes were found during exercise at low and moderate intensities relative to rest. Although this study was performed in nondepressed participants, it suggests an upregulation of cognitive control during aerobic exercise that may be maintained through a program of chronic exercise. Finally, we examined the effects of a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention performed three days/week for 8 weeks. The aerobic exercise condition exhibited enhanced cognitive control (i.e., N2 amplitude) and reduced depressive symptoms among individuals with MDD; however, these exercise-induced changes in cognitive control were not found to significantly mediate pre-to-post changes in symptom outcomes. These findings support the use of exercise as a neurobehavioral therapy for MDD and suggest the possibility of incorporating exercise as a stand alone or augmentation strategy for conventional treatments.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Nutritional Sciences
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Depressive disorder--Treatment
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Depression, Mental--Treatment
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Exercise
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_7734
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (xvi, 131 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Ryan L. Olson
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore19991600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
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