Prefrontal and Hippocampal Brain Volume Deficits: Role of Low Physical Activity on Brain Plasticity in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients

AbstractOur objective in the present study was to conduct the first empirical study of the effects of regular physical activity habits and their relationship with brain volume and cortical thickness in patients in the early phase of schizophrenia. Relationships between larger brain volumes and higher physical activity levels have been reported in samples of healthy and aging populations, but have never been explored in first-episode schizophrenia patients. Method: We collected MRI structural scans in 14 first-episode schizophrenia patients with either self-reported low or high physical activity levels. We found a reduction in total gray matter volume, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampal gray matter volumes in the low physical activity group compared to the high activity group. Cortical thickness in the dorsolateral and orbitofrontal PFC were also significantly reduced in the low physical activity group compared to the high activity group. In the combined sample, greater overall physical activity levels showed a non-significant tendency with better performance on tests of verbal memory and social cognition. Together these pilot study findings suggest that greater amounts of physical activity may have a positive influence on brain health and cognition in first-episode schizophrenia patients and support the implementation of physical exercise interventions in this patient population to improve brain plasticity and cognitive functioning. (JINS, 2015, 21, 868–879)

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Physical activity-levels in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e573122012-062 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Lene Nyboe ◽

Poul Videbech

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

First Episode ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

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Classification of First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients and Healthy Subjects by Automated MRI Measures of Regional Brain Volume and Cortical Thickness

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0021047 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. e21047 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Yoichiro Takayanagi ◽

Tsutomu Takahashi ◽

Lina Orikabe ◽

Yuriko Mozue ◽

Yasuhiro Kawasaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Thickness ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Brain Volume ◽

First Episode ◽

Regional Brain ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia ◽

Regional Brain Volume

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Reduced Physical Activity Levels in Children after a First Episode of Acute Venous Thromboembolism

The Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.12.062 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 219 ◽

pp. 229-235.e2

Author(s):

Ayesha Zia ◽

Zhuo Yang ◽

Song Zhang ◽

Tony Babb

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Venous Thromboembolism ◽

First Episode ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Reduced Physical Activity ◽

Acute Venous Thromboembolism

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Influence of physical activity on cardiac autonomic control in patients with dyslipidaemia

Comparative Exercise Physiology ◽

10.3920/cep190024 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 233-241

Author(s):

A. Anand ◽

P. Bhati ◽

A. Mujaddadi ◽

S. Verma ◽

I.H. Naqvi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Autonomic Dysfunction ◽

Predictive Ability ◽

Autonomic Control ◽

Activity Levels ◽

High Physical Activity ◽

Cardiac Autonomic Control ◽

Activity Group ◽

Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction ◽

Physical Activity Group

The objective of this study was to compare the cardiac autonomic control of dyslipidaemia patients engaged in different levels of physical activity and to determine the predictive ability of physical activity for cardiac autonomic dysfunction in these patients. This study also aimed to compare the cardiac autonomic control of dyslipidaemia patients and healthy adults. 52 patients (age: 49.1±4.53 years) with dyslipidaemia were recruited along with 16 healthy adults. Physical activity levels were assessed by International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and subjects were divided into three categories – low, moderate, and high physical activity. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was performed for obtaining time and frequency domain parameters. Presence of cardiac autonomic dysfunction was defined as standard deviation of N-N intervals <44 ms. HRV parameters were compared between 3 groups of dyslipidaemia patients and healthy controls. Predictive ability of physical activity for cardiac autonomic dysfunction in dyslipidaemia was evaluated after adjusting clinical covariates. There was a significant difference between low-frequency power (cardiac sympathetic control), and ratio of low- and high-frequency (HF) power (sympatho-vagal balance) in low versus moderate physical activity group and low versus high physical activity group (P<0.001). Significant differences were also observed for HFnu power (cardiac vagal activity) and total power between the dyslipidaemia groups. Physical activity was found to be a significant (P=0.03), independent predictor of cardiac autonomic dysfunction in dyslipidaemia patients. Findings of the present study suggest that cardiac autonomic profile of dyslipidaemia patients with different physical activity levels varied significantly. Dyslipidaemia patients engaged in moderate and high physical activity demonstrated significantly less sympathetic activity and better sympatho-vagal balance than those engaged in low levels of physical activity; also, vagal cardiac control was significantly greater in high physical activity group. Lower levels of physical activity determined the presence of cardiac autonomic dysfunction in these patients at an optimal cut-off value of ≤1,558 Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks- min/week.

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