title: Hippocampal plasticity in response to exercise in schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hippocampal volume is lower than expected in patients with schizophrenia; however, whether this represents a fixed deficit is uncertain. Exercise is a stimulus to hippocampal plasticity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether hippocampal volume would increase with exercise in humans and whether this effect would be related to improved aerobic fitness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients attending a day hospital program or an outpatient clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male patients with chronic schizophrenia and matched healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aerobic exercise training (cycling) and playing table football (control group) for a period of 3 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Magnetic resonance imaging of the hippocampus. Secondary outcome measures were magnetic resonance spectroscopy, neuropsychological (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Corsi block-tapping test), and clinical (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following exercise training, relative hippocampal volume increased significantly in patients (12%) and healthy subjects (16%), with no change in the nonexercise group of patients (-1%). Changes in hippocampal volume in the exercise group were correlated with improvements in aerobic fitness measured by change in maximum oxygen consumption (r = 0.71; P = .003). In the schizophrenia exercise group (but not the controls), change in hippocampal volume was associated with a 35% increase in the N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio in the hippocampus. Finally, improvement in test scores for short-term memory in the combined exercise and nonexercise schizophrenia group was correlated with change in hippocampal volume (r = 0.51; P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that in both healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia hippocampal volume is plastic in response to aerobic exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany. pajonk@klinik-dr-fontheim.de
authors.forename: Frank-Gerald
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Pajonk
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wobrock
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherk
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berner
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaizl
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kierer
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oest
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backens
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schneider-Axmann
authors.forename: Allen E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Honer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falkai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate