This study investigates whether a single session of aerobic exercise (like running) can improve the participants' mood and whether such benefits can be explained by changes in the blood factors (like hormones) and brain activity. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Can a single session of aerobic exercise improve mood? * Which changes in the blood and brain could explain the effects of exercise on mood? Researchers will compare the participants' mood states before and after exercise to see whether exercise can improve mood. The participants will: * Answer questionnaires, collect blood, and undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before exercise. * Perform 30 minutes of running on a treadmill. * Answer the same questionnaires, collect blood, and undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after exercise. The entire assessment will last for about 2h45min and will be performed on a single day.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Thirty minutes of exercise on a treadmill, including a 5-minute warm-up followed by increments in speed until reaching optimal moderate to high intensity (60-80% of age-predicted maximal heart rate), which will be maintained for 20 min, followed by a 5-minute cool-down. Age-predicted maximal HR will be defined as 220 beats-per-minute (BPM) minus age in years.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Profile of Mood States (POMS)
POMS is a 30-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "Not at all" to "Extremely." It provides six sub≥scales: 1) anger (e.g., grouchy, furious); 2) confusion (e.g., muddled, forgetful); 3) depression (e.g., sad, unworthy); 4) fatigue (e.g., tired, sluggish); 5) tension (e.g., nervous, anxious); and 6) vigor (e.g., lively, active).
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES)
SEES is a 12-item questionnaire that is scored on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from "Not at all" to "Very much". It Provides 3 subscales that will be used in the present study: 1) psychological well-being (great, positive, strong, terrific); 2) psychological distress (awful, crummy, discouraged, miserable); and 3) fatigue (drained, exhausted, fatigued, tired).
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Subject Happiness Scale (SHS)
SHS is a 4-item self-report measure developed to assess an individual's overall happiness as measured through self-evaluation. The response format is a 7-point Likert-type scale.
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Blood biomarkers
Blood biomarkers, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Adiponectin
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Cardiovascular parameters
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) will be monitored during all the exercise protocol.
Time frame: Before, during, and immediately after a single session of exercise
BOLD-weighted fMRI images
BOLD-weighted fMRI images will be acquired using a gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GRE-EPI) sequence with (a) repetition time = 2000 ms, (b) echo time = 30 ms, (c) flip angle = 90°, (d) matrix = 64 × 64, (e) field of view = 220 mm × 220 mm, (f) slice thickness = 4 mm with interslice gap = 0.6 mm, and (g) 33 interleaved axial slices. Additionally, weighted images will be acquired with an interleaved sequence (188 sagittal slices, TR/TE/flip angle = 8.2 ms/3.7 ms/7°, matrix = 256 × 256 mm2, FOV = 256 × 256 × 188 mm, and voxel size = 1 × 1 × 1 mm3).
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Diffusion-weighted image (DWI)
Whole-brain diffusion-weighted image (DWI) will be collected with a single-shot diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging sequence (TE, 83 ms; TR, 8700 ms; flip angle, 90°; image resolution, 1.64 mm isotropic; b value, 800 s/mm2; 70 axial slices) in 30 diffusion encoding directions and one non-diffusion-weighted reference image (b = 0).
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) will be utilized to measure levels of glutamate and GABA.
Time frame: From before to immediately after a single session of exercise
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