title: Effect of combined cognitive-behavioural therapy and endurance training on cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase in panic disorder.
abstract: Current data point to an alteration of both the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-system and the peripheral transmission of catecholamines in anxiety disorders. There is also some evidence for the effect of several components of cognitive-behavioural interventions such as coping and control and for an effect of exercise training on the neuroendocrine stress response in healthy subjects as well as patients suffering from distinct (mental) disorders. This double-blind, controlled study investigated the effect of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in combination with either high-level endurance training or low-level exercise on salivary cortisol (sC) and on levels of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) in patients suffering from panic disorder (PD) with and without agoraphobia. In comparison to the low-level exercise condition, there were significantly lower sC-levels in the experimental group performing high-level endurance training at a 7-month follow-up. In contrast, there were no group differences in sAA levels during the study period. In this trial, we found evidence for a decelerated effect of endurance-training on HPA-system's functioning in PD. Further studies addressing the alteration of sAA levels in this population might investigate physical exercise different in intensity and duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plag
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: katharina.gaudlitz@charite.de.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gaudlitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.affiliation: Section of Sports Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dimeo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bobbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology, Technical University Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirschbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ströhle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010807:Physical Endurance; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011594:Psychometrics; D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT); Cortisol; HPA-system; Panic disorder; Physical activity; Salivary alpha amylase