ArticleBrain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2020
The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Physical and Cognitive Outcomes in a Small Cohort of Outpatients with Schizophrenia.
Article in Brain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 4 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of specialist-delivered interventions in severe mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Exercise Interventions for Psychotic Disorders: The Impact of Exercise Intensity, Mindfulness Components, and Other Moderators on Symptoms, Functioning, and Cardiometabolic Health.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2024Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of different types of exercise modalities on psychiatric symptomatology in patients with schizophrenia: a systematic review with network meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of Exercise on Positive Symptoms, Negative Symptoms, and Depression in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- The impact of aerobic endurance training on cognitive performance in schizophrenic inpatients in a clinical routine setting.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Trial
- The Effect of a Physical Activity Program on Subjective Well-Being, Happiness and Problem-Solving Skills in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Community mental health journal · 2025Trial
- Effects of Physical Exercise on Executive Function in Schizophrenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- High-Intensity Interval Training for Individuals With Isolated Impaired Fasting Glucose: Protocol for a Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- The Impact of Regular Physical Exercise on Psychopathology, Cognition, and Quality of Life in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia: A Scoping Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The effects of a group-based intervention through physical activities and dietary changes in young patients with severe psychiatric disorders: a pilot study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Article
- CCRT and aerobic exercise: a randomised controlled study of processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and serum BDNF expression in schizophrenia.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2022Article
- Aerobic exercise in severe mental illness: requirements from the perspective of sports medicine.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2022Review
- The assessment of acute chorioretinal changes due to intensive physical exercise in young adults.PloS one · 2022Article
- BDNF as a Biomarker of Cognition in Schizophrenia/Psychosis: An Updated Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe, chronic illness characterized by psychotic symptoms and impairments in many cognitive domains. Dysregulation of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with the cognitive impairments seen in patients with SCZ. Given the growing literature supporting a positive effect of aerobic exercise on cognition in other populations, we hypothesized that a structured aerobic exercise program would improve cognitive and functional outcomes in subjects with SCZ, potentially mediated by increases in BDNF.
methodsThe study was a small randomized parallel group clinical trial of subjects with SCZ comparing 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (AE) against control (CON) stretching and balance training. At Baseline, Week 12, and Week 20 we collected serum samples for analysis of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and assessed functional, physical, and cognitive outcomes. Linear regression models were used to compare change scores between timepoints.
resultsWe randomized 21 subjects to AE and 17 to CON; however, only 9 AE and 6 CON completed their programs. Subjects in both groups were slower at the 400 m walk in Week 12 compared to Baseline, but the AE group had significantly less slowing than the CON group (B = -28.32,
conclusionThese results indicate that participation in a structured aerobic exercise paradigm may modestly blunt physical function decline and enhance cognitive function in individuals with SCZ.
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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.