Trial Outcomes & Findings for Benefits of Physical Exercise in Schizophrenia (NCT NCT02716584)

NCT ID: NCT02716584

Last Updated: 2019-09-19

Results Overview

Measure of aerobic capacity (VO2max) is derived by using a regression formula based on age, weight, sex, and time to complete walking of one mile. Because scores are derived using a regression equation, there is no absolute minimum or maximum value; higher scores represent better aerobic capacity.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

53 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Change from baseline to 12-week endpoint assessment

Results posted on

2019-09-19

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Physical Exercise
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Overall Study
STARTED
35
18
Overall Study
COMPLETED
27
13
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
8
5

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Physical Exercise
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Overall Study
Lost to Follow-up
8
5

Baseline Characteristics

Benefits of Physical Exercise in Schizophrenia

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=35 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=18 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Total
n=53 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous
56.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.2 • n=5 Participants
55.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.1 • n=7 Participants
56.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.5 • n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
33 Participants
n=5 Participants
18 Participants
n=7 Participants
51 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
4 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
4 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
23 Participants
n=5 Participants
12 Participants
n=7 Participants
35 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
8 Participants
n=5 Participants
6 Participants
n=7 Participants
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
35 participants
n=5 Participants
18 participants
n=7 Participants
53 participants
n=5 Participants
VO2max
22.6 ml.kg-1.min-1
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.3 • n=5 Participants
23.3 ml.kg-1.min-1
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.4 • n=7 Participants
22.8 ml.kg-1.min-1
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.3 • n=5 Participants
Birchwood Social Functioning Scale
121.0 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 24.7 • n=5 Participants
116.7 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 22.1 • n=7 Participants
119.5 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 23.7 • n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to 12-week endpoint assessment

Measure of aerobic capacity (VO2max) is derived by using a regression formula based on age, weight, sex, and time to complete walking of one mile. Because scores are derived using a regression equation, there is no absolute minimum or maximum value; higher scores represent better aerobic capacity.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
VO2max
4.0 ml.kg-1.min-1
Standard Deviation 4.0
0.2 ml.kg-1.min-1
Standard Deviation 5.6

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to 12 week endpoint assessment

Birchwood Social Functioning Scale is a measure of social functioning. The total score for social functioning is calculated by summing the raw scores from each of the seven subscales (social engagement, interpersonal communication, independence - performance, independence - competence, recreation, prosocial behavior, employment); possible range is 0 to 223 with higher scores representing better social functioning.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Total Score for Social Functioning
3.7 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 10.9
-2.5 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 10.2

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to 12-week endpoint assessment

Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is a measure of speed of information processing. The total score for speed of processing (i.e., cognition) is calculated by summing the number of symbol-code pairs completed correctly on the BACS Symbol Coding test within the allotted 90 second time limit. Scores range from 0 to 110 with higher scores representing better information processing speed.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Total Score for Speed of Processing (i.e., Cognition) as Assessed by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) Symbol Coding Test
-0.4 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 4.9
2.3 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 5.4

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

Positive and Negative Affect Scale is a measure of an individual's positive and negative affect. The scale includes 32 items; 16 denote positive affect and 16 denote negative affect. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely). The total score for PANAS positive affect is calculated by summing the ratings for items denoting positive affect. Scores range from 16 to 80; higher scores represent better positive affect.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Total Score for Positive Affect as Assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)
-5.6 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 12.6
-8.9 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 14.1

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

Positive and Negative Affect Scale is a measure of an individual's positive and negative affect. The scale includes 32 items; 16 denote positive affect and 16 denote negative affect. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely). The total score for PANAS negative affect is calculated by summing the ratings for items denoting negative affect. Scores range from 16 to 80; lower scores represent better levels of negative affect.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Total Score for Negative Affect as Assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)
3.8 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 8.8
2.6 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 6.5

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

Raw scores (i.e., total scores) for the following tests will be transformed to z-scores: attention (CPT-IP), speed of processing (BACS symbol coding), working memory (WAIS-IV letter-number sequencing test), verbal learning (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised), and executive control (AX-CPT). The outcome measure is the mean z-score. The composite z-score indicates the number of standard deviations away from the mean. A z-score of 0 is equal to the mean of the overall sample of study participants. Negative numbers indicate values lower than other study participants and positive numbers indicate values higher than other study participants.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Composite Score From Non-social Cognition Battery
.01 z-score
Standard Deviation .50
.06 z-score
Standard Deviation .52

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

Raw scores (i.e., total scores) for the following tests will be transformed to z-scores: emotion perception (Facial Emotion Identification Test), social perception (Half-Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity; PONS), theory of mind (The Awareness of Social Inference Test; TASIT - Part 2), empathy (empathic accuracy test). The outcome measure is the mean z-score. The composite z-score indicates the number of standard deviations away from the mean. A z-score of 0 is equal to the mean of the overall sample of study participants. Negative numbers indicate values lower than other study participants and positive numbers indicate values higher than other study participants.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Composite Score From Social Cognition Battery
.06 z-score
Standard Deviation .46
-.17 z-score
Standard Deviation .47

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

BDNF concentration will be quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (R\&D Systems). The value will be expressed in ng/ml.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
BDNF Value
-1.04 ng/ml
Standard Deviation 9.57
-7.31 ng/ml
Standard Deviation 8.01

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) is a measure of psychiatric symptom severity and includes subscale scores for positive and negative symptoms. The outcome score for positive symptoms is calculated by summing the ratings for items measuring hallucinations, unusual thought content, and conceptual disorganization; each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 7 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity; possible range for positive symptoms is 0 to 21 with higher scores representing greater severity of positive symptoms.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Positive Symptom Subscale Score From the BPRS
-1.2 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 4.5
-1.2 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.5

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to the 12-week endpoint assessment

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) is a measure of psychiatric symptom severity and includes subscale scores for positive and negative symptoms. The outcome score for negative symptoms is calculated by summing the ratings for items measuring blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, and motor retardation; each item is rated on a scale of 1 to 7 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity; possible range for negative symptoms is 0 to 21 with higher scores representing greater severity of negative symptoms.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Physical Exercise
n=27 Participants
Participants participate in brisk walking exercises. Physical exercise: Veterans in the physical exercise group will participate in a 12-week, instructor-led, outdoor brisk walking exercise program conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week, gradually increasing walking time until reaching a maximum of 40-minutes per session. The heart rate of each Veteran will be monitored during the walking sessions to help ensure maintenance of a target peak heart rate of 60% to 70% of the maximum for the individual's age (i.e., 220-age).
Stretching Exercise
n=13 Participants
Participants participate in non-aerobic, non-Yoga stretching exercises Stretching exercise: Veterans in the control condition will participate in instructor-led, non-aerobic stretching exercises conducted in small groups, held 3 times per week.
Negative Symptom Subscale Score From the BPRS
0.1 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 2.5
0.1 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 2.8

Adverse Events

Physical Exercise

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Stretching Exercise

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Dr. Robert Kern

VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Phone: 310-478-3711

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place