Cognitive Benefits of Exercise in Patients With Schizophrenia Sustained Over One Year, Study Shows

Several studies have found that patients with schizophrenia experience cognitive benefits from exercise. Astudy inPsychiatric Research suggests schizophrenia patients who participate in a 12-week aerobic exercise program may continue to experience cognitive benefits months after the program ends.“These findings encourage the incorporation of [aerobic exercise] in psychosocial treatment regimens [for schizophrenia],” wrote Takeshi Shimada, Ph.D., of the Medical Corporation Seitaikai Mental Support Soyokaze Hospital in Japan and colleagues.Shimada and colleagues conducted a randomized trial in which patients were recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Nagano, Japan. Forty participants with schizophrenia and other schizoaffective disorders aged 20 to 65 were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group received treatment as usual, which consisted of meetings with a psychiatrist, medication, case management, and rehabilitation programs over a 12-week period; the other group participated in a 12-week aerobic exercise program in addition to receiving treatment as usual. Participants in the exercise program attended one group class (involving exercise videos) and one individual session (involving treadmill or stationary bike) a week, each lasting an hour.Shimada and colleagues used the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) to evaluate the participants ’ verbal memory, working memory, motor speed, verbal fluency, attention, and executive function. The res...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia exercise group exercise psychiatric research schizoaffective disorders Takeshi Shimada Source Type: research