Exercise improves depression through positive modulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A review based on 100 manuscripts over 20 years

Monèm Jemni; Rashid Zaman; Frederick Robert Carrick; Neil David Clarke; Michel Marina; Lindsay Bottoms; Jagdeep Singh Matharoo; Roger Ramsbottom; Norman Hoffman; Shad James Groves; Yaodong Gu; Ferman Konukman

doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1102526

Exercise improves depression through positive modulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A review based on 100 manuscripts over 20 years

Front Physiol. 2023 Mar 8:14:1102526. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1102526. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Monèm Jemni^{1

2

3}, Rashid Zaman^{3

4}, Frederick Robert Carrick^{2

3

5

6}, Neil David Clarke⁷, Michel Marina⁸, Lindsay Bottoms⁹, Jagdeep Singh Matharoo¹⁰, Roger Ramsbottom¹¹, Norman Hoffman², Shad James Groves², Yaodong Gu¹, Ferman Konukman¹²

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Physical Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
² The Carrick Institute of Neuroscience, Cape Canaveral, FL, United States.
³ Centre for Mental Health Research in association with The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁵ University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, United states.
⁶ MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, United States.
⁷ Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom.
⁸ Institut Nacional d'Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC), Sport Performance, Barcelona, Spain.
⁹ School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
¹⁰ The University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom.
¹¹ Sport and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom.
¹² Department of Physical Education, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

The aim of this review was to explore the relevant neurobiology and the association between peripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and acute and short to long-term exercise regimes, as well as its relation to depression and antidepressant treatment. A 20-year literature search was conducted. The screening process resulted in 100 manuscripts. Antidepressants as well as acute exercise, particularly high-intensity, elevates BDNF in healthy humans and clinical populations, as evidenced from aerobic and resistance-based studies. Although exercise is increasingly recognised in the management of depression, acute and short-term exercise studies have failed to establish a relationship between the severity of depression and changes in peripheral BDNF. The latter rapidly returns to baseline, possibly indicating a quick re-uptake by the brain, aiding its neuroplasticity functions. The timescale of administration needed for the antidepressants to stimulate biochemical changes is longer than similar increases with acute exercise.

Keywords: BDNF expression; depression treatment; exercise mode; neuroplasticity; physical activity intervention.

Publication types

Systematic Review

Grants and funding

This study is the fruit of a collaborative project between medical experts, psychiatric consultants, neuroscientists and exercise physiologists representing leading institutions from different countries and continents.