Exercise and Cognitive Training
Condition: Schizophrenia; Schizoaffective Disorder; Bipolar Disorder
MeSH terms: Schizophrenia; Bipolar Disorder; Psychotic Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential benefits of combining cognitive
      remediation and exercise in improving cognitive functioning and response to psychiatric
      rehabilitation.
    

Detailed description: 
      Impaired cognitive functioning is a common feature of schizophrenia and other serious mental
      illnesses that is related to poorer psychosocial functioning and less benefit from
      psychiatric rehabilitation. Research shows that cognitive remediation for persons with
      serious mental illness improves cognitive functioning and response to psychiatric
      rehabilitation. There is also evidence that physical activity such as aerobic exercise
      confers a benefit to cognitive functioning in both clinical and general population samples.
      The cognitive benefit of exercise is hypothesized to be the result of enhanced brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF; a protein that promotes plasticity, reduces degeneration, and
      stimulates nerve cell survival). However, the potential synergistic effects of cognitive
      remediation and exercise on cognitive functioning have not been investigated in persons with
      serious mental illness. This pilot randomized controlled trial will evaluate the impact of
      adding a peer run exercise program to a standardized cognitive remediation program on
      cognitive functioning in 30 people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar
      disorder. All study participants will receive a 10-week cognitive remediation program shown
      in previous research to improve cognitive functioning. One-half (N = 15) of the participants
      will also receive a peer-led exercise program designed to promote cardiovascular fitness. The
      primary research questions addressed are: 1) Does the addition of the exercise program to
      cognitive remediation lead to greater improvements in cognitive functioning than cognitive
      remediation alone?, and, 2) Are improvements in cognitive functioning mediated (explained) by
      exercise-induced increases in BDNF? The results of this pilot study will inform the design of
      a larger, more definitive trial to evaluate the potential benefits of combining cognitive
      remediation and exercise in improving cognitive functioning and response to psychiatric
      rehabilitation.
    

Intervention name(s): Exercise; Cognitive Remediation
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The exercise intervention is a 10-week program involving 40 minutes of aerobic exercise targeting 60-75% of maximum heart rate on 3 days each week, with an additional 5-minute stretching warm up and cool down.; Participants will be engaged in 30 hours of computer-based cognitive exercises with a standardized, widely used software package (Cogpack, Version 7.0, Marker Software), shown to improve cognitive functioning in multiple studies. One-hour sessions will be conducted 3 times per week for 10 weeks.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Cognitive functioning