NCT02612142

Physical EXercise as an Adjunct Treatment for Depression

Efficacy of Exercise as an Adjunct Treatment for Clinically Depressed Inpatients During the Initial Stages of Antidepressant Therapy.

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 48 (actual)
• Sponsor: Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

35 participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder were randomized in 3 intervention groups: (1) aerobic exercise (AE) ; (2) placebo (stretching) exercise (ST); and (3) no intervention (control group; NI). The intervention length was 10 consecutive days. In groups 1 (aerobic exercise) and 2 (sham exercise), participants exercised for 30 minutes each day. Depressive symptoms were assessed the day before the beginning of intervention and the day after the end of intervention for participants of both groups.

Detailed description

In the aerobic exercise (AE) group, the intervention consisted of 30 minutes of daily brisk walking or jogging. This was done individually and supervised. Participants who missed \> 2 training sessions were considered as non-completers. Exercise intensity had to be maintained within 65%-75% of age-predicted maximal heart rate, as commonly prescribed in studies using aerobic exercise to alleviate depression. Heart rate monitoring devices were used. Participants in the stretching (ST) group also performed a daily 30 minutes exercise program but this was "sham" exercise, consisting of stretching exercises. Several muscle groups (thighs, calves, gluteal, shoulders, back) were stretched for 60 seconds, with equivalent resting intervals between stretching series. These activities were also individual and supervised. As was the case for the AE intervention, participants who missed \> 2 training sessions were considered as non-completers. Participants in the control (NI) group received no intervention other than prescribed medication. All participants started antidepressants within less than 2 weeks before study entry.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	physical exercise	endurance-training or stretching (sham exercise)

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-06-01
• Primary completion: 2015-07-01
• Completion: 2015-07-01
• First posted: 2015-11-23
• Last updated: 2015-11-24