Habitual physical activity mediates the acute exercise-induced modulation of anxiety-related amygdala functional connectivity
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Jennifer L. Etnier, Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: Aerobic exercise, in relation to physical activity, has been shown to have beneficial effects on anxiety. However, the underlyig neural mechanism remains elusive. Using a within-subject crossover design, this fMRI study examined how exercise (12-min treadmill running versus walking) mediated amygdala reactivity to explicit and implicit (backward masked) perception of emotional faces in young adults (N?=?40). Results showed that acute exercise-induced differences of state anxiety (STAI-S) varied as a function of individual’s habitual physical activity (IPAQ). Subjects with high IPAQ levels showed significant STAI-S reduction (P?0.05). Path analyses indicated that IPAQ explained 14.67% of the variance in acute exercise-induced STAI-S differences. Running elicited stronger amygdala reactivity to implicit happiness than fear, whereas walking did the opposite. The exercise-induced amygdala reactivity to explicit fear was associated with the IPAQ scores and STAI-S differences. Moreover, after running, the amygdala exhibited a positive functional connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex and insula to implicit happiness, but a negative connectivity with the parahippocampus and subgenual cingulate to implicit fear. The findings suggest that habitual physical activity could mediate acute exercise-induced anxiolytic effects in regards to amygdala reactivity, and help establish exercise training as a form of anxiolytic therapy towards clinical applications.
Habitual physical activity mediates the acute exercise-induced modulation of anxiety-related amygdala functional connectivity
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Created on 1/28/2020
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Scientific Reports, 9 (1), 19787
- Language: English
- Date: 2019
- Keywords
- amygdala, neuroscience