ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2018
Exercise Leads to Better Clinical Outcomes in Those Receiving Medication Plus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 3 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.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Physical Activity interventions on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in major depressive disorder (MDD): a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Dose-response relationship of exercise interventions on sleep quality in patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Nonpharmacological approaches for pain and symptoms of depression in people with osteoarthritis: systematic review and meta-analyses.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- The (cost-)effectiveness of exercise therapy adjunct to guideline-concordant care for depression: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Trial
- The effect of movement therapy with progressive muscle relaxation on the depression rate of patients admitted to the psychiatric ward of Moradi Rafsanjan Educational and Medical Center in 2021.Journal of medicine and life · 2023Trial
- Assessing BDNF as a mediator of the effects of exercise on depression.Journal of psychiatric research · 2020Trial
- Residual depression symptoms following nature-based exercise therapies among U.S. service members.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Effect of Different Exercise Modalities on Inflammatory Markers in Individuals with Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Effects of Aerobic Exercises at Different Intensities on Sleep Quality in Individuals with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Review
- Swimming upregulates APOL3 through regulating macrophage polarization to inhibit glycolysis and the development of melanoma.3 Biotech · 2024Article
- Exercise Individually or as a Collective Family Activity? A Semi-Experimental Comparison on the Increase in Subjective Vitality and Happiness.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- A virtually supervised exercise program improved fitness and mental wellness in healthy and comorbidity older adult individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Insomnia and the Pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder: An Evaluation of a Broad Selection of Serum and Urine Biomarkers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- The Interaction between Exercise and Marital Status on Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Taiwan Biobank.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- BDNF Impact on Biological Markers of Depression-Role of Physical Exercise and Training.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Longitudinal Effects of Motivation and Physical Activity on Depressive Symptoms among College Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Aerobic Exercise and Stretching as Add-On to Inpatient Treatment for Depression Have No Differential Effects on Stress-Axis Activity, Serum-BDNF, TNF-Alpha and Objective Sleep Measures.Brain sciences · 2021Article
- Comparison of surf and hike therapy for active duty service members with major depressive disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of novel interventions in a naturalistic setting.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the effects of exercise as an add-on therapy with antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) on treatment outcomes in low-active major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. We also explored whether exercise reduces the residual symptoms of depression, notably cognitive impairment and poor sleep quality, and aimed to identify putative biochemical markers related to treatment response.
methodsSixteen low-active MDD patients were recruited from a mental health day treatment program at a local hospital. Eight medicated patients performed an 8-week exercise intervention in addition to CBGT, and eight medicated patients attended the CBGT only. Twenty-two low-active, healthy participants with no history of mental health illness were also recruited to provide normal healthy values for comparison.
resultsResults showed that exercise resulted in greater reduction in depression symptoms (
conclusionWe provide evidence that exercise as an add-on to conventional antidepressant therapies improved the efficacy of standard treatment interventions. Our results suggest that plasma BDNF levels and sleep quality appear to be good indicators of treatment response and potential biomarkers associated with the clinical recovery of MDD.
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