Effects of a 6-Month Aerobic Exercise Intervention on Mood and Amygdala Functional Plasticity in Young Untrained Subjects

Angelika Maurer, Julian Klein, Jannik Claus, Neeraj Upadhyay, Leonie Henschel, Jason Anthony Martin, Lukas Scheef, Marcel Daamen, Theresa Schörkmaier, Rüdiger Stirnberg, Tony Stöcker, Alexander Radbruch, Ulrike I. Attenberger, Martin Reuter and Henning Boecker
Additional contact information
Angelika Maurer: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Julian Klein: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Jannik Claus: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Neeraj Upadhyay: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Leonie Henschel: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Jason Anthony Martin: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Lukas Scheef: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Marcel Daamen: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Theresa Schörkmaier: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Rüdiger Stirnberg: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Tony Stöcker: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Alexander Radbruch: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Ulrike I. Attenberger: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Martin Reuter: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 99, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Henning Boecker: Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Acute exercise has beneficial effects on mood and is known to induce modulations in functional connectivity (FC) within the emotional network. However, the long-term effects of exercise on affective brain circuits remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of 6 months of regular exercise on mood, amygdala structure, and functional connectivity. This study comprised N = 18 healthy sedentary subjects assigned to an intervention group (IG; 23.9 ± 3.9 years; 3 trainings/week) and N = 10 subjects assigned to a passive control group (CG; 23.7 ± 4.2 years). At baseline and every two months, performance diagnostics, mood questionnaires, and structural and resting-state-fMRI were conducted. Amygdala-nuclei segmentation and amygdala-to-whole-brain FC analysis were performed. Linear mixed effects models and correlation analyses were conducted between FC, relVO 2max , and mood scores. Data showed increases in relVO 2max exclusively in the IG. Stronger anticorrelation in amygdala-precuneus FC was found, along with a stronger positive correlation in the amygdala-temporal pole FC in the IG after 4 and 6 months, while mood and amygdala volume did not reveal significant interactions. The relVO 2max /amygdala-temporal pole FC correlated positively, and the amygdala-precuneus/amygdala-temporal pole FC correlated negatively. Findings suggest that exercise induced long-term modulations of the amygdala FC with the precuneus and temporal pole, shedding light on potential mechanisms by which exercise has positive influences on mood-related networks, typically altered in affective disorders.

Keywords: amygdala; functional connectivity; physical activity; exercise; mood; affect; fMRI; structural MRI; randomized controlled study; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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