Control study of exercise' influence on depression's symptom, cognitive function and GABA

Objective To explore the effects of exercise on the symptoms, cognitive function and GABA in depression, as well as the possible biochemical mechanisms of exercise intervention in depression. Methods A total of 65 adult patients with depression from Anhui Mental Center were selected and numbered. Then the numbers were randomly divided by the lottery method. Patients (n=65) were divided into intervention group (n=35) and control group (n=30).5 patients in intervention group became detached. The intervention group took aerobic exercise on a treadmill about 35 minutes per day in a frequency of 3 to 5 times a week for 6 weeks. The whole exercise included a warm-up exercise for about 10 minutes before exercise, jogging for about 20 minutes, and a slow-down exercise for about 5 minutes. The heart rate of the patient was measured by using a treadmill before and after exercise, and the patient's highest training heart rate was controlled at (220-age)×70%. Besides, both of the intervention and the control group were treated with antidepressant sertraline (maximum dose of 150 mg/d). Depression symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Cognitive function was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Rating Scale. The GABA levels in human plasma were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The t-test of independent samples was used to compare sample data before and after treatment for the same group, while the t-test of paired samples were adopted for inter-group data. Different data were compared by the obtained means and variances. Results The difference of HAMD reduction scores were (-32.73±4.71) for the control group and (-24.23±8.95) for the intervention group. Total score of MoCA in the control group was (21.77±1.47), and in the intervention one was (25.23±1.16). The difference of GABA concentration in the control group before and after treatment was (0.32±1.54) mg/L, and in the intervention group was (1.87±0.73) mg/L. Exercise combined with antidepressant drugs significantly relieves depressive symptoms (P<0.01). Conclusion Exercise can relieve depressive symptoms and improve cognitive function of depression and increase the GABA levels in human plasma of depression.