Clinical, Neurophysiological and Neuroendocrine Effects of Aerobe Exercise in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

NCT ID: NCT02662803

Last Updated: 2019-02-05

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

29 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-01-31

Study Completion Date

2019-01-31

Brief Summary

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This study investigate the effect of high-intense aerobe exercise training (HIT) on clinical and physiological parameters (anxiety, somatisation, cortisol, alpha amylase, "mismatch negativity", loudness dependence auditory evoked potentials) in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Half of patients will receive HIT, while the other half will receive aerobe exercise of low intensity.

Detailed Description

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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition and characterized by worrying of several topics of the daily life as well as stress-induced somatic symptoms (e.g. headache or musculoskeletal pain). Disturbed monoaminergic neurotransmission, changes in central information processing and altered levels of stress markers were reported as to be biological correlates of GAD or other stress-related disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment in GAD, but it seems to be less effective than in other anxiety disorders. There is, however, some evidence for an anxiolytic activity of aerobe exercise. In this context, different forms of aerobe training were found to be associated with significant reduction of clinical symptoms in panic disorder, agoraphobia or social phobia as well as a normalisation of some of its pathophysiological markers.

In this study, 20 patients with GAD will receive a high-intensive aerobe training (HIT, 6 HIT-sessions of 20 minutes within a period of 12 days). Additionally, 20 GAD-patients will undergo a less intense aerobe training matched regarding frequency and duration of sessions. Prior to the first training session, after completing the training (day 12) and 30 days after baseline, symptoms of anxiety and somatisation will assessed by using established questionnaires. Moreover, saliva samples and electroencephalogram (EEG) will performed at the same times of assessment in order to evaluating changes of cortisol, alpha amylase, "mismatch negativity" and loudness dependence auditory evoked potentials.

We hypothesize, that GAD-patients which undergo HIT, will show a stronger and more sustained improvement of both, clinical symptoms and formally altered electrophysiological and endocrinological parameters.

Conditions

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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high-intensive aerobe exercise

Aerobe bicycle ergometer training within 77-95% of maximum oxygen consumption; duration of each training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

high-intensive aerobe exercise

Intervention Type OTHER

Aerobe bicycle ergometer training within 77-95% of maximum oxygen consumption; duration of each training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

low-intensive aerobe exercise

Aerobe training below 70% of maximum oxygen consumption (including light stretching and simple exercises adapted from yoga figures); duration of training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

low-intensive aerobe exercise

Intervention Type OTHER

Aerobe training below 70% of maximum oxygen consumption (including light stretching and simple exercises adapted from yoga figures); duration of training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

Interventions

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high-intensive aerobe exercise

Aerobe bicycle ergometer training within 77-95% of maximum oxygen consumption; duration of each training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

Intervention Type OTHER

low-intensive aerobe exercise

Aerobe training below 70% of maximum oxygen consumption (including light stretching and simple exercises adapted from yoga figures); duration of training session: 20 minutes; frequency of training: 6 sessions within 12 days

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) according to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
* Appropriate abilities to communicate and to complete the questionnaires
* Written informed consent
* Possibility of regular attendance at the training sessions

Exclusion Criteria

* Other severe mental conditions than GAD (e.g. schizophrenia, severe depressive episode, addiction)
* Acute suicidality
* Epilepsy or other disorders of the central nervous system (e.g. tumor, encephalitis)
* Contraindications to aerobe exercise training
* Cardiovascular diseases
* Start or modification of an anxiolytic pharmacotherapy within the last four weeks
* Current psychotherapy
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Charite University, Berlin, Germany

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dr. Jens Plag

physician

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Plag JP Plag, Dr.

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte

Locations

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Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte

Berlin, , Germany

Site Status

Countries

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Germany

References

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Gaudlitz K, Plag J, Dimeo F, Strohle A. Aerobic exercise training facilitates the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in panic disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2015 Mar;32(3):221-8. doi: 10.1002/da.22337. Epub 2014 Dec 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25515221 (View on PubMed)

Ghisolfi ES, Heldt E, Zanardo AP, Strimitzer IM Jr, Prokopiuk AS, Becker J, Cordioli AV, Manfro GG, Lara DR. P50 sensory gating in panic disorder. J Psychiatr Res. 2006 Sep;40(6):535-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2006.02.006. Epub 2006 Apr 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16616936 (View on PubMed)

Hegerl U, Juckel G. Intensity dependence of auditory evoked potentials as an indicator of central serotonergic neurotransmission: a new hypothesis. Biol Psychiatry. 1993 Feb 1;33(3):173-87. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(93)90137-3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8383545 (View on PubMed)

Clark CR, McFarlane AC, Weber DL, Battersby M. Enlarged frontal P300 to stimulus change in panic disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 1996 May 15;39(10):845-56. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(95)00288-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9172705 (View on PubMed)

Naatanen R. The mismatch negativity: a powerful tool for cognitive neuroscience. Ear Hear. 1995 Feb;16(1):6-18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7774770 (View on PubMed)

Plag J, Gaudlitz K, Schumacher S, Dimeo F, Bobbert T, Kirschbaum C, Strohle A. Effect of combined cognitive-behavioural therapy and endurance training on cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase in panic disorder. J Psychiatr Res. 2014 Nov;58:12-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.07.008. Epub 2014 Jul 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25085607 (View on PubMed)

Schumacher S, Kirschbaum C, Fydrich T, Strohle A. Is salivary alpha-amylase an indicator of autonomic nervous system dysregulations in mental disorders?--a review of preliminary findings and the interactions with cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Jun;38(6):729-43. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.02.003. Epub 2013 Mar 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23481259 (View on PubMed)

Burgomaster KA, Hughes SC, Heigenhauser GJ, Bradwell SN, Gibala MJ. Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Jun;98(6):1985-90. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01095.2004. Epub 2005 Feb 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15705728 (View on PubMed)

Meyer TJ, Miller ML, Metzger RL, Borkovec TD. Development and validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behav Res Ther. 1990;28(6):487-95. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(90)90135-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2076086 (View on PubMed)

Stober J, Bittencourt J. Weekly assessment of worry: an adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for monitoring changes during treatment. Behav Res Ther. 1998 Jun;36(6):645-56. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(98)00031-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9648338 (View on PubMed)

Maier W, Buller R, Philipp M, Heuser I. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders. J Affect Disord. 1988 Jan-Feb;14(1):61-8. doi: 10.1016/0165-0327(88)90072-9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2963053 (View on PubMed)

Plag J, Schumacher S, Strohle A. [Generalized anxiety disorder]. Nervenarzt. 2014 Sep;85(9):1185-94. doi: 10.1007/s00115-014-4121-8. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25119343 (View on PubMed)

Jayakody K, Gunadasa S, Hosker C. Exercise for anxiety disorders: systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2014 Feb;48(3):187-96. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2012-091287. Epub 2013 Jan 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23299048 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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EA1/217/15

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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