Neuronal mechanisms of the beneficial mood effects of physical excercise

Aim. The current work aims to summarize the experimental data (from author’s and other laboratories) on the neuronal mechanism of the mood effect of physical exercise and to suggest a potential mood-stabilizing mechanism of physical activity. Materials and Methods. Physical Depression is a brain disorder characterized by severe emotional, cognitive, neuroendocrine, and somatic dysfunctions. Based on this concept, the author performed a review of experimental data on various ways to manage depression including medical treatment and physical exercise. Results. Although the last generation of antidepressant drugs demonstrates improved clinical efficacy and safety, the onset of their clinical effect is still significantly delayed from the beginning of the treatment course, and significant number of patients show lack of adequate response to these drugs and/or relapse of the disease even after initially successful treatment. Certain non-pharmaceutical strategies are used as adjuncts or replacements to antidepressant drugs when the formers are ineffective. One of such strategies is the voluntary physical exercise. Conclusions. Voluntary physical exercise can be an adjunct physiotherapeutic treatment in depression, given together with the pharmacotherapy, e.g., with SSRIs. One of the potential mechanisms of action of physical exercise in depression is stimulation of basic and/or reversal of the SSRI-induced inhibition of 5-HT tone. Other potential mechanisms, such as neuropeptide pathways, should be investigated in the future studies.