Aerobic Exercise and Subthreshold Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

Is aerobic exercise associated with reduced subthreshold depression in adolescents, and what are the potential underlying neural mechanisms?In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial including 206 adolescents, aerobic exercise was associated with reduced subthreshold depressive symptoms compared with the psychoeducation control. This outcome was mediated by 2 opposing electroencephalography (EEG)-based neural network pathways respectively representing processes ameliorating and exacerbating subthreshold depressive symptoms.The findings suggest aerobic exercise may be an effective, scalable, accessible intervention to alleviate adolescent subthreshold depression, with the identified EEG-based neural network pathways providing potential biomarkers for tailoring personalized treatment and monitoring responses across individuals.

Corresponding Authors: Kangguang Lin, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Guangdong, 518172, P.R. China (klin@cuhk.edu.cn; linkangguang@163.com); Qing Zhang, PhD, MD, Department of Medical Imaging, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, 6 Jiefang Rd, Dalian, Liaoning, 116001, P.R. China (zhangqingsmile@163.com).

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