The association of 5-HTTLPR genotype and depressive symptoms is moderated by physical activity.

The s allele serotonin transporter polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is associated with a number of physiological mechanisms that may increase the risk of elevated depressive symptoms. However, reports of a relationship between serotonin transporter polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotype and depressive symptoms have thus far been inconclusive. This heterogeneity of results suggests that other factors may be moderating the relationship between 5-HTTLPR and depressive symptoms.

Efficacy of exercise in reducing depressive symptoms across 5-HTTLPR genotypes.

Introduction: Exercise is effective in the alleviation of depressive symptoms and may have physiological effects similar to those of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Recent research has identified the difference in treatment effects across genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), in which the l allele has been associated with a better response to SSRI compared with the s allele. The purpose of the current research was to examine the antidepressant effects of exercise across 5-HTTLPR genotypes.

The antidepressive effects of exercise: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Several meta-analyses examining the effects of exercise on depression have been criticized for including studies of poor methodological integrity. More recent meta-analyses addressed the most common criticism by including only randomized control trials; however, these analyses suffer from incomplete literature searches and lack of moderating variable analyses. Using a more extensive search procedure, the current meta-analysis examines the effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in 58 randomized trials (n = 2982).

The anxiolytic effects of exercise: a meta-analysis of randomized trials and dose-response analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effects of exercise on anxiety. Because previous meta-analyses in the area included studies of varying quality, only randomized, controlled trials were included in the present analysis. Results from 49 studies show an overall effect size of -0.

Aerobic exercise intensity and time of stressor administration influence cardiovascular responses to psychological stress.

This study examined cardiovascular responses as a function of time following exercise in which participants were exposed to a laboratory stressor. Ninety (42 women) young (18-35 years old) nonsmoking normotensive participants engaged in 30 min of high and low intensity (75-80% and 50-55% VO(2) max) aerobic exercise and a sedentary control condition. Participants were randomly assigned to a laboratory stressor 5, 30, or 60 min following the exercise bout.

A meta-regression to examine the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive performance.

Many studies have been conducted to test the potentially beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition. The results of meta-analytic reviews of this literature suggest that there is a positive association between participation in physical activity and cognitive performance. The design of past research demonstrates the tacit assumption that changes in aerobic fitness contribute to the changes in cognitive performance.

Acetylcholinesterase/paraoxonase genotype and expression predict anxiety scores in Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics study.

Anxiety involves complex, incompletely understood interactions of genomic, environmental, and experience-derived factors, and is currently being measured by psychological criteria. Here, we report previously nonperceived interrelationships between expression variations and nucleotide polymorphisms of the chromosome 7q21-22 acetylcholinesterase-paraoxonase 1 (ACHE-PON1) locus with the trait- and state-anxiety measures of 461 healthy subjects from the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics Family Study. The AChE protein controls the termination of the stress-enhanced acetylcholine signaling, whereas the PON protein displays peroxidase-like activity, thus protecting blood proteins from oxidative stress damages.

Aerobic physical activity effects on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children.

Psychological well-being has been generally associated with vigorous aerobic activity and structured aerobic activity in adolescents and children. Low-income children are at greater risk than the general population for experiencing high environmental stress and increased mental health problems. This study investigated the effects of a structured physical fitness program on psychological well-being in low-income Hispanic children.

Effects of life-event stress and hardiness on peripheral vision in a real-life stress situation.

Previous research has only examined perceptual deficits that are hypothesized in a model of stress and injury under laboratory-induced stress conditions. The generalizability of findings from such induced-stress conditions is limited beyond the laboratory. The current research examined the influence of life-event stress and hardiness on peripheral narrowing in a real-life stress situation.

Arousal, anxiety, and performance: a reexamination of the Inverted-U hypothesis.

Until recently, the traditional Inverted-U hypothesis had been the primary model used by sport psychologists to describe the arousal-performance relationship. However, many sport psychology researchers have challenged this relationship, and the current trend is a shift toward a more "multidimensional" view of arousal-anxiety and its effects on performance. In the current study, 104 college-age participants performed a simple response time task while riding a bicycle ergometer.

Factors related to rapid weight loss practices among international-style wrestlers.

Purpose: The deaths of three intercollegiate wrestlers in 1997 prompted the NCAA and governing bodies that oversee high school sports to adopt new policies prohibiting unsafe weight loss practices. Similar policies have not yet been adopted for international style wrestling, a style that attracts thousands of youth once the regulated scholastic season is over. Therefore, this study examined the rapid weight loss practices in high school wrestlers participating in international style wrestling.

The effects of competition and the presence of an audience on weight lifting performance.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of the presence of an audience and competition on maximal weight lifting performance. Thirty-two recreationally trained participants (15 men, 17 women; 21 +/- 2.5 years) performed a 1 repetition maximum (1 RM) bench press during 3 different situations (coaction, competitive coaction, and audience condition).

Evidence for the importance of openness to experience on performance of a fluid intelligence task by physically active and inactive participants.

The cross-sectional relationship between exercise training history and performance on a fluid intelligence test was examined. In addition, openness to experience was included as a potential trait-based contributor to predicting cognitive performance. Results supported past literature demonstrating that aerobically trained or active participants performed significantly better on the fluid intelligence task than aerobically untrained or inactive participants.

Affect and Cognitive Performance in High School Wrestlers Undergoing Rapid Weight Loss.

Recent research has demonstrated transient affective changes and impairment of short-term memory in college wrestlers as a result of rapid weight loss (RWL) of at least 5% body weight prior to competition. This study examined the effects of RWL on cognition and affect in high school wrestlers. Wrestlers were considered to be engaging in RWL if they were losing over 5% of body weight (n = 14).