Effect of Gardening on Brain Activity
Condition: Stress; Depression; Anxiety; Quality of Life
MeSH terms: Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The objective of the research is to test the hypothesis that participating in group-based
      gardening activities alters brain network activation and function, and that such change
      occurring in the brain forms the neurobiological basis for much of the nonphysical activity
      portion of the therapeutic benefits of gardening and horticultural therapy. Assessment of the
      effects of the gardening activities on the experimental population will take two approaches,
      the first being the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess the regions
      of the brain that may become activated as a consequence of experiencing the cumulative
      gardening activities and associated stimuli. The allied approach will employ widely used and
      well-established self-reported assessment instruments that will capture information about the
      health and well-being that will then provide a psychometrically-based before and after
      physical and health summary of the participants in the control group and those engaged in the
      gardening activities.
    

Detailed description: 
      The goal of this project is to better understand how interacting and working with plants in a
      group gardening activities program that takes place in a greenhouse effects patterns of brain
      activity and overall health and well-being. There has been essentially no assessment of the
      effects of gardening or engaging in gardening activities on brain activity using functional
      MRI (fMRI) approaches. This study will employ visual stimuli to assess the effects of the
      gardening activities treatment on Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) responses as revealed
      by fMRI in study subjects in a comparison of responses before and after engaging in the
      gardening intervention program.

      Specifically this study seeks to determine whether engaging in gardening activities taking
      place in a greenhouse can influence brain activity and function, and result in changes in
      overall quality of life status of subjects in a wellness population.

      The total study population (N = 23) will consist of 11 healthy women in the control group,
      and 12 healthy women in the treatment group. There will be fMRI brain scans and psychometric
      pre- and post-intervention assessments administered to the study subjects. The fMRI and
      psychometric assessments will be administered within 10 days prior to the start of the
      intervention, and within 10 days following the completion of the treatment intervention. The
      control group will continue with normal daily life over a seven to eight week interval, and
      receive no other intervention. The treatment group will be divided into two groups of six
      women each that will receive the gardening intervention on different days of the week. The
      participants in the treatment group will receive an experimental intervention consisting of
      12 gardening sessions, each approximately 60 minutes in duration over a six week treatment
      period. Each gardening session will take place at the same time of day twice each week, and
      follow a standardized programming sequence to ensure equivalency of intervention across all
      gardening sessions. Ambient environmental conditions in the greenhouse during the gardening
      sessions will be monitored and recorded. The gardening activities will emphasize growing
      plants from seeds, plant propagation techniques, transplanting, and plant-mediated taste,
      visual, olfactory and touch sensory stimulation. All gardening sessions will begin with a
      short educational module introducing the plants and gardening activities taking place during
      each session. In addition to the pre- and post-intervention assessments, psychometric
      assessments will be administered for depression and mood states at specific time points
      during the gardening activities to the treatment group to evaluate any changes over time
      resulting from the intervention.
    

Intervention name(s): Gardening; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); psychometric assessments
Intervention type(s): Other; Procedure; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The intervention consists of twice weekly group sessions of gardening activities of 60 minutes in duration that will take place in a greenhouse. A total of 12 gardening sessions administered over a period of six weeks will include planting seeds, bulbs and tubers, transplanting seedlings, vegetative propagation and sight, smell, taste and touch sensory based activities.; Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be employed to assess whether engaging in gardening activities in a greenhouse does or does not alter the spatial patterns of brain network activation relative to changes that occur between the groups.; The following assessments will be used: The SF-36 Health Survey assessment instrument (Ware and Sherbourne 1992; Hays et al 1993), the Beck Depression Inventory 2nd edition (BDI-II) (Beck et al 1988), The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) instrument (Form Y) (Spielberger et al 1983), the Profile of Mood States 2nd edition short form for adults instrument (POMS2-AS), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen et al 1983) for changes that occur in between the groups.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: Gardening; Therapeutic Horticulture; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Psychometric Assessment; Stress; Depression; Anxiety; Quality of Life; Wellness