Cardiorespiratory fitness and self-reported physical activity levels of referring mental healthcare professionals, and their attitudes and referral practices related to exercise and physical health.

Background: Physical activity (PA) interventions can improve mental and physical health of people with mental illness, especially when delivered by qualified exercise professionals. Also, the behaviour, engagement and support of referring mental healthcare professionals (HCP) seem essential, but research is scarce. We aimed to study HCP physical fitness and PA, and associations with their attitudes and referral practices related to physical health and PA interventions.

Reduced resting state functional connectivity in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network of schizophrenia patients.

Contemporary preclinical models suggest that abnormal functioning of a brain network consisting of the hippocampus, midbrain and striatum plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous neuroimaging studies examined individual aspects of this model in schizophrenia patients and individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. However, this exact preclinical brain network has not been translated to human neuroimaging studies with schizophrenia patients and therefore it is currently unknown how functioning of this network is altered in patients.

Low Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in People With Schizophrenia: A Comparison With Matched Healthy Controls and Associations With Mental and Physical Health.

The aim of this study was to objectively assess time spent in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls matched for age, gender and socioeconomic status. Associations between both PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and mental and physical health parameters in patients with schizophrenia were examined. Moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA), moderate PA, vigorous PA, total and active energy expenditure (TEE and AEE), number of steps, lying down and sleeping time was assessed with SenseWear Pro-2 body monitoring system for three 24-h bouts in patients with schizophrenia ( = 63) and matched healthy controls ( = 55).

Physical Exercise Keeps the Brain Connected: Biking Increases White Matter Integrity in Patients With Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls.

It has been shown that learning a new skill leads to structural changes in the brain. However, it is unclear whether it is the acquisition or continuous practicing of the skill that causes this effect and whether brain connectivity of patients with schizophrenia can benefit from such practice. We examined the effect of 6 months exercise on a stationary bicycle on the brain in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

The importance of self-determined motivation towards physical activity in patients with schizophrenia.

There is a need for theoretically-based research on the motivational processes linked to the commencement and continuation of physical activity in patients with schizophrenia. Within the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework, we investigated the SDT tenets in these patients by examining the factor structure of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (BREQ-2) and by investigating associations between motivation and PA. The secondary aim was to study differences in motivation according to gender, educational level, treatment setting and disease stage.

Can structural MRI aid in clinical classification? A machine learning study in two independent samples of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and healthy subjects.

Although structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revealed partly non-overlapping brain abnormalities in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it is unknown whether structural MRI scans can be used to separate individuals with schizophrenia from those with bipolar disorder. An algorithm capable of discriminating between these two disorders could become a diagnostic aid for psychiatrists. Here, we scanned 66 schizophrenia patients, 66 patients with bipolar disorder and 66 healthy subjects on a 1.

The effects of physical exercise in schizophrenia and affective disorders.

Affective and non-affective psychoses are severe and frequent psychiatric disorders. Amongst others, they not only have a profound impact on affected individuals through their symptomatology, but also regarding cognition, brain structure and function. Cognitive impairment influences patients' quality of life as well as their ability to work and being employed.

Abnormal rich club organization and functional brain dynamics in schizophrenia.

Importance: The human brain forms a large-scale structural network of regions and interregional pathways. Recent studies have reported the existence of a selective set of highly central and interconnected hub regions that may play a crucial role in the brain's integrative processes, together forming a central backbone for global brain communication. Abnormal brain connectivity may have a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Relationships between physical fitness, physical activity, smoking and metabolic and mental health parameters in people with schizophrenia.

Low physical fitness has been recognised as a prominent behavioural risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), and as an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality. No studies have systematically assessed physical fitness compared with a matched health control group in patients with schizophrenia. Eighty patients with schizophrenia and 40 age-, gender- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy volunteers were included.

Exercise therapy, cardiorespiratory fitness and their effect on brain volumes: a randomised controlled trial in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

The objective of this study was to examine exercise effects on global brain volume, hippocampal volume, and cortical thickness in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Irrespective of diagnosis and intervention, associations between brain changes and cardiorespiratory fitness improvement were examined. Sixty-three schizophrenia patients and fifty-five healthy controls participated in this randomised controlled trial.

Progressive muscle relaxation in persons with schizophrenia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation on psychological distress and anxiety symptoms and on response/remission for people with schizophrenia.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials were considered if they investigated progressive muscle relaxation in patients with schizophrenia. EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL, PEDro and Cochrane Library were searched.

Effects of exercise therapy on cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Increased mortality in schizophrenia is caused largely by coronary heart disease (CHD). Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a key factor for CHD mortality. We compared CRF in patients with schizophrenia to CRF of matched healthy controls and reference values.

Lack of physical activity during leisure time contributes to an impaired health related quality of life in patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify if lack of physical activity participation and an impaired functional exercise capacity compared with healthy controls contributed to an impaired health related quality of life (HRQL). We also evaluated whether the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) could explain the variability in HRQL in patients.

Method: Patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia (n=60) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n=40) completed the SF-36 quality of life scale and the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire and performed a 6 minute walk test (6MWT).