Publications by authors named "A Heissel"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how physical exercise impacts working memory (WM) and brain activity in patients with Major Depression Disorder (MDD), focusing on the hippocampus.
  • A total of 86 MDD patients participated in a 12-week program, divided into high intensity exercise (HEX), low intensity exercise (LEX), and a waiting list control group, with an n-back WM task used to measure cognitive performance before and after interventions.
  • Results showed that both exercise groups improved their WM performance, particularly the HEX group, which also exhibited increased neural activation in the left hippocampus, though there were no significant structural changes in brain volume.
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Exercise has acute, positive effects on mood and can lead to antidepressant effects over time when repeated regularly. The mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of exercise training are not well known, limiting the prescription of exercise training for depression. Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) appears dysregulated in those with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), suggesting MDD could inhibit or alter the IGF-1 response to exercise.

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Background: Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Altered leptin levels are known to be associated with depressive symptoms, however discrepancies in the results of increased or decreased levels exist. Due to various limitations associated with commonly used antidepressant drugs, alternatives such as exercise therapy are gaining more importance.

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Background: Deficits in cognition like working memory (WM) are highly prevalent symptoms related to major depressive disorder (MDD). Neuroimaging studies have described frontoparietal abnormalities in patients with MDD as a basis for these deficits. Based on research in healthy adults, it is hypothesized that increased physical fitness might be a protective factor for these deficits in MDD.

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Satisfaction and frustration of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as assessed with the 24-item Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS), have been found to be crucial indicators of individuals' psychological health. To increase the usability of this scale within a clinical and health services research context, we aimed to validate a German short version (12 items) of this scale in individuals with depression including the examination of the relations from need frustration and need satisfaction to ill-being and quality of life (QOL). This cross-sectional study involved 344 adults diagnosed with depression (M (SD) = 47.

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