Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2016
The effects of different aerobic exercise intensities on serum serotonin concentrations and their association with Stroop task performance: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06213883 (Characterizing Acute Exercise Response in Restrictive Eating Disorders), which is not on this map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Characterizing Acute Exercise Response in Restrictive Eating Disorders
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effects of Exergaming on the Depressive Symptoms of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Behavioral intervention with task repetition compared to pharmacological intervention with SSRI for enhancement of cognitive control in emotional and non-emotional settings.Psychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Metabolic Syndrome and Psychological Effects of Exercise in Hemodialysis Patients.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Endocrine and neuromodulatory regulation during prolonged maximal 6000-m rowing in male athletes.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- The Neurochemical Orchestra of the Runner's High: A Narrative Review of Neuromodulatory Mechanisms with a Focus on Endocannabinoids.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2026Review
- Protective Role of Regular Physical Activity on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Article
- Effects of Physical Exercise on Circulating Serotonin Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Pre-exercise mood, sex-specific hormonal and neuromodulatory responses to maximal exertion in elite rowers.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Exercise and sleep health in college students: Efficacy, mechanisms, and implications for practice.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Review
- Mechanisms of interventions targeting modifiable factors for dementia risk reduction.Molecular neurodegeneration · 2025Review
- Article
- Anxiety level modulates endocrine and neuromodulatory responses to maximal exercise and 24-h recovery in elite rowers.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- The BDNF-Interactive Model for Sustainable Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Humans: Synergistic Effects of Environmentally-Mediated Physical Activity, Cognitive Stimulation, and Mindfulness.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Systemic Modulators: Potential Mechanism for the 5-HT System to Mediate Exercise Amelioration in Alzheimer's Disease.Aging and disease · 2024Review
- Acute effects of aerobic exercise on corticomotor plasticity in individuals with and without depression.Journal of psychiatric research · 2024Article
- Exploring the Acute Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Biking on Self-Efficacy and Attention of Individuals in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: A Feasibility Study.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Effects and neural mechanisms of different physical activity on major depressive disorder based on cerebral multimodality monitoring: a narrative review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Review
- Overview on brain function enhancement of Internet addicts through exercise intervention: Based on reward-execution-decision cycle.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeAcute exercise improves selective aspects of cognition such as executive functioning. Animal studies suggest that some effects are based on exercise-induced alterations in serotonin (5-HT) secretion. This study evaluates the impact of different aerobic exercise intensities on 5-HT serum levels as well as on executive functioning considering 5-HT as a potential mediator.
methods121 young adults (23.8 ± 3.6 years) were examined in a randomized controlled trial including three exercise intervention (35 min) groups (low intensity, 45 % of the maximal heart rate (HRmax); moderate intensity, 65 % HRmax; high intensity, 85 % HRmax) and one control group. 5-HT levels and response inhibition (measured by a computerized Stroop test) were assessed pre- and post-intervention.
resultsThere was a significant (p = 0.022) difference between groups regarding serum Δ5-HT levels. Post hoc tests indicated significant (p = 0.013) higher 5-HT serum levels for the high-intensity group compared to the control group while other groups did not differ significantly from each other. Serum Δ5-HT levels and exercise intensity were shown to be linearly associated through polynomial contrast analysis (p = 0.003). Furthermore, ANOVA revealed a significant difference for Stroop parameter reading (p = 0.030) and a tendency for reverse Stroop effect (p = 0.061). Correlation analysis showed that augmented 5-HT levels were associated with improved results in response inhibition.
conclusionsThis study indicates that intensive acute exercise increases serum 5-HT levels compared to a control group. These findings might be relevant for many other related research fields in exercise science, since 5-HT receptors are expressed on many different cell types including endothelia and immune cells.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.