Depression
Conditions
Keywords
depression, exercise, BDNF, Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, Major Depressive Disorder, MDD
Brief summary
The present study aims to address gaps in the literature by evaluating the objectively measured dose-response relationship between exercise and depression symptoms; examining changes in resting (Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor) BDNF from baseline to week 10 of an exercise intervention; and assessing varying exercise intensities on enjoyment, affect, and health-related quality of life in sedentary young adult college students.
Detailed description
This 10-week randomized single-blind controlled trial will consist of an exercise intervention and attention control condition. A two-week familiarity trial period will be followed by 8 weeks of structured exercise. Objectively measured physical activity will be remotely monitored via Fitbit to examine its effect on depressive symptoms in sedentary young adult college students. Approximately 48 enrolled college students ages 18 - 25 will be recruited for the proposed study and randomized with a 1:1:1 allocation to one of the following conditions: 1. high-dose (HD) moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (n=16) 2. moderate-dose (MD moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (n=16) 3. a walking (W) attention control (n=16)
Interventions
OTHERWalking attention control
The attention control group will be asked to wear the Fitbit activity tracker to monitor their sleep each night for 10 weeks.
OTHERhigh-dose
Participants will be asked to perform a high-dose (HD) (i.e., 300 minutes of MVPA per week) of structured exercise for 10 weeks. Exercise modality and schedule will be participant- selected and may consist of any combination of aerobic and strength training that elevates the heart rate between 64 - 95 percent of estimated heart rate max
OTHERmoderate-dose
Participants will be asked to perform a moderate-dose (MD) (i.e., 150 minutes of MVPA per week) of structured exercise for 10 weeks. Exercise modality and schedule will be participant- selected and may consist of any combination of aerobic and strength training that elevates the heart rate between 64 - 95 percent of estimated heart rate max
Sponsors
American College of Sports Medicine
University of Central Florida
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* enrolled UCF college students aged 18 to 25 * mild to moderate depressive symptoms * willing to wear a Fitbit for extended periods of time during the study * willing to participate in moderate-to-vigorous PA * physically able to participate in exercise safely
Exclusion criteria
* under 110 lbs * history of bad reaction to a past blood draw * have been advised by a medical provider to not give/donate blood * presence of anemia * current cognitive therapy or antidepressant medication * diagnosis of a co-occurring condition such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) * diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder * pregnant or nursing * current smoker * beta-blocker medications
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) assay | 1 year | A fasted (\> 8 hours) blood draw will be performed at baseline and post-treatment to measure resting serum BDNF levels. Serum concentrations of total BDNF will be measured with Human BDNF Human ELISA assay kits for total serum BDNF from ThermoFisher Scientific |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fitbit for physical activity data | 1 year | Duration of weekly physical activity (min.) data will be collected from the Fitbit activity trackers. |
| Fitbit for heart rate | 1 year | Heart rate (bpm.) will be collected through Fitabase from the Fitbit as the participants exercise and/ or walk. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed