Sat Apr 11, 2015 8:03 am . Posted by:
"rochelle9@gmail.com" dr_rsuri
Dear Colleagues,
Here's a study worth looking at:
Increasing aerobic fitness by 18%, got a 15% increase in "cognitive
function" - to me, this finding strongly suggests that cognitive deficits
are more about just being immobilized, rather than being due to any kind of
"illness."
I found the study fascinating, and thought some of you may be interested in
it, too.
Warmly,
Dr. Rochelle Suri, PhD, MFT
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.
*Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning In Individuals with
Schizophrenia*
New York, NY (March 23, 2015) – Aerobic exercise training program improved
cognitive functioning in people with schizophrenia, in a study published
online in *Schizophrenia Bulletin* on March 24. Cognitive deficits such as
difficulties in attention, memory, and planning have been identified as
major predictors of daily dysfunction and disability in people with
schizophrenia, and available medications and cognitive remediation
treatments offer only limited benefits.
The proof-of-concept study, conducted at Columbia University Medical
Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, randomized 33 patients to
receive standard psychiatric treatment or attend a 12-week aerobic exercise
(AE) training program using active-play video games (Xbox 360 Kinect) and
traditional exercise equipment, along with standard psychiatric treatment.
The patients who received AE improved their aerobic fitness by 18.0 percent
in contrast to a -0.5 percent decline in the patients who received standard
psychiatric treatment. Cognitive function improved by 15.1 percent in the
AE training group in contrast to a -2.0 percent decline in the standard
treatment group.
Lead author David Kimhy, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of
Psychiatry and director of the Experimental Psychopathology Lab at the New
York State Psychiatric Institute, said “Our results indicate that poor
aerobic fitness represents a modifiable risk factor for cognitive
dysfunction in people with schizophrenia, for which aerobic exercise
training offers a safe, non-stigmatizing, and side-effect-free
intervention.”
The study team also identified brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a
protein in the brain that increases with physical activity, “as a potential
mechanism underlying such cognitive improvements.”
Dr. Kimhy added, “If replicated, our findings may lead to the integration
of aerobic exercise into standard psychiatric treatment for people with
schizophrenia and other severe mental health problems. Thus, in addition to
its well-documented cardiovascular, weight-management, and other physical
health benefits, aerobic exercise training offers the potential to
ameliorate cognitive difficulties in individuals with schizophrenia.”
The title of the paper is “The Impact of Aerobic Exercise on Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor and Neurocognition in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A
Single-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.”
The other contributors are Ms. Julia Vakhrusheva, Dr. Matthew Bartels, Ms.
Hilary Armstrong, Dr. Jacob Ballon, Ms. Samira Khan, Ms. Rachel Chang, Ms.
Marie Hansen, Ms. Lindsey Ayanruoh, Ms. Amanda Lister, Dr. Eero Castrén,
Dr. Edward Smith, and Dr. Richard Sloan.
The study was funded by The National Institute of Mental Health grant
1R21MH096132
<http://projectreporter.nih.
(Dr. Kimhy).
Dr. Ballon has received investigator-initiated research funding from
Novartis relating to another project. Dr. Castrén is an advisor of Herantis
Pharma. The other authors report no financial or other conflicts of
interest.
*Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State
Psychiatric Institute (Columbia Psychiatry/NYSPI) *New York State
Psychiatric Institute (founded in 1896) and the Columbia University
Department of Psychiatry have been closely affiliated since 1925. Their
co-location in a New York State facility on the
NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center campus provides the
setting for a rich and productive collaborative relationship among
scientists and physicians in a variety of disciplines. Columbia
Psychiatry/NYSPI are ranked among the best departments and psychiatric
research facilities in the nation and have contributed greatly to the
understanding of and current treatment for psychiatric disorders. The
Department and Institute are home to distinguished clinicians and
researchers noted for their clinical and research advances in the diagnosis
and treatment of depression, suicide, schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety
disorders and childhood psychiatric disorders. Their combined expertise
provides state of the art clinical care for patients, and training for the
next generation of psychiatrists and psychiatric researchers.
Visit http://nyspi.org and http://columbiapsychiatry.org/ for more
information.
Here's a study worth looking at:
Increasing aerobic fitness by 18%, got a 15% increase in "cognitive
function" - to me, this finding strongly suggests that cognitive deficits
are more about just being immobilized, rather than being due to any kind of
"illness."
I found the study fascinating, and thought some of you may be interested in
it, too.
Warmly,
Dr. Rochelle Suri, PhD, MFT
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.
*Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Functioning In Individuals with
Schizophrenia*
New York, NY (March 23, 2015) – Aerobic exercise training program improved
cognitive functioning in people with schizophrenia, in a study published
online in *Schizophrenia Bulletin* on March 24. Cognitive deficits such as
difficulties in attention, memory, and planning have been identified as
major predictors of daily dysfunction and disability in people with
schizophrenia, and available medications and cognitive remediation
treatments offer only limited benefits.
The proof-of-concept study, conducted at Columbia University Medical
Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, randomized 33 patients to
receive standard psychiatric treatment or attend a 12-week aerobic exercise
(AE) training program using active-play video games (Xbox 360 Kinect) and
traditional exercise equipment, along with standard psychiatric treatment.
The patients who received AE improved their aerobic fitness by 18.0 percent
in contrast to a -0.5 percent decline in the patients who received standard
psychiatric treatment. Cognitive function improved by 15.1 percent in the
AE training group in contrast to a -2.0 percent decline in the standard
treatment group.
Lead author David Kimhy, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of
Psychiatry and director of the Experimental Psychopathology Lab at the New
York State Psychiatric Institute, said “Our results indicate that poor
aerobic fitness represents a modifiable risk factor for cognitive
dysfunction in people with schizophrenia, for which aerobic exercise
training offers a safe, non-stigmatizing, and side-effect-free
intervention.”
The study team also identified brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a
protein in the brain that increases with physical activity, “as a potential
mechanism underlying such cognitive improvements.”
Dr. Kimhy added, “If replicated, our findings may lead to the integration
of aerobic exercise into standard psychiatric treatment for people with
schizophrenia and other severe mental health problems. Thus, in addition to
its well-documented cardiovascular, weight-management, and other physical
health benefits, aerobic exercise training offers the potential to
ameliorate cognitive difficulties in individuals with schizophrenia.”
The title of the paper is “The Impact of Aerobic Exercise on Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor and Neurocognition in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A
Single-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.”
The other contributors are Ms. Julia Vakhrusheva, Dr. Matthew Bartels, Ms.
Hilary Armstrong, Dr. Jacob Ballon, Ms. Samira Khan, Ms. Rachel Chang, Ms.
Marie Hansen, Ms. Lindsey Ayanruoh, Ms. Amanda Lister, Dr. Eero Castrén,
Dr. Edward Smith, and Dr. Richard Sloan.
The study was funded by The National Institute of Mental Health grant
1R21MH096132
<http://projectreporter.nih.
(Dr. Kimhy).
Dr. Ballon has received investigator-initiated research funding from
Novartis relating to another project. Dr. Castrén is an advisor of Herantis
Pharma. The other authors report no financial or other conflicts of
interest.
*Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State
Psychiatric Institute (Columbia Psychiatry/NYSPI) *New York State
Psychiatric Institute (founded in 1896) and the Columbia University
Department of Psychiatry have been closely affiliated since 1925. Their
co-location in a New York State facility on the
NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center campus provides the
setting for a rich and productive collaborative relationship among
scientists and physicians in a variety of disciplines. Columbia
Psychiatry/NYSPI are ranked among the best departments and psychiatric
research facilities in the nation and have contributed greatly to the
understanding of and current treatment for psychiatric disorders. The
Department and Institute are home to distinguished clinicians and
researchers noted for their clinical and research advances in the diagnosis
and treatment of depression, suicide, schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety
disorders and childhood psychiatric disorders. Their combined expertise
provides state of the art clinical care for patients, and training for the
next generation of psychiatrists and psychiatric researchers.
Visit http://nyspi.org and http://columbiapsychiatry.org/ for more
information.
