The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings
Recently, genuine motor abnormalities have been recognized as prodromal and predictive signs of psychosis onset and progression. Therefore, physical exercise could represent a potentially relevant clinical tool in promoting the reshaping of neural connections in motor circuitry. The aim of this revi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/923 |
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| author | Francesca Saviola Giacomo Deste Stefano Barlati Antonio Vita Roberto Gasparotti Daniele Corbo |
| author_facet | Francesca Saviola Giacomo Deste Stefano Barlati Antonio Vita Roberto Gasparotti Daniele Corbo |
| author_sort | Francesca Saviola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently, genuine motor abnormalities have been recognized as prodromal and predictive signs of psychosis onset and progression. Therefore, physical exercise could represent a potentially relevant clinical tool in promoting the reshaping of neural connections in motor circuitry. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the literature on neuroimaging findings as a result of physical treatment in psychosis cohorts. Twenty-one studies, all research articles, were included and discussed in this narrative review. Here, we first outlined how the psychotic brain is susceptible to structural plastic changes after aerobic physical training in pathognomic brain areas (i.e., temporal, hippocampal and parahippocampal regions). Secondly, we focused on functional changes, both region-specific and in terms of connections, to gain insights into the involvement of distant but inter-related neural regions in the plastic process occurring after treatment. Third, we attempted to bridge neural plastic changes occurring after physical interventions with clinical and cognitive outcomes of psychotic patients in order to assess the relevance of such neural reshaping in the psychiatric rehabilitation field. In conclusion, we suggest that the current state of the art is presenting physical intervention as effective in promoting neural changes for patients with psychosis; it is not only useful at the onset of the pathology but also in improving the course of the illness and its functional outcome. However, more evidence is needed to improve our knowledge of the efficacy of physical exercise in plastically reorganizing the psychotic brain in the long term, especially within regions lacking specific investigations, such as motor circuitry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:40:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-920f0dd7cdd64f0885ff0a3f27f58c84 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:40:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-920f0dd7cdd64f0885ff0a3f27f58c842023-11-18T09:36:27ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252023-06-0113692310.3390/brainsci13060923The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging FindingsFrancesca Saviola0Giacomo Deste1Stefano Barlati2Antonio Vita3Roberto Gasparotti4Daniele Corbo5Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, ItalyRecently, genuine motor abnormalities have been recognized as prodromal and predictive signs of psychosis onset and progression. Therefore, physical exercise could represent a potentially relevant clinical tool in promoting the reshaping of neural connections in motor circuitry. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the literature on neuroimaging findings as a result of physical treatment in psychosis cohorts. Twenty-one studies, all research articles, were included and discussed in this narrative review. Here, we first outlined how the psychotic brain is susceptible to structural plastic changes after aerobic physical training in pathognomic brain areas (i.e., temporal, hippocampal and parahippocampal regions). Secondly, we focused on functional changes, both region-specific and in terms of connections, to gain insights into the involvement of distant but inter-related neural regions in the plastic process occurring after treatment. Third, we attempted to bridge neural plastic changes occurring after physical interventions with clinical and cognitive outcomes of psychotic patients in order to assess the relevance of such neural reshaping in the psychiatric rehabilitation field. In conclusion, we suggest that the current state of the art is presenting physical intervention as effective in promoting neural changes for patients with psychosis; it is not only useful at the onset of the pathology but also in improving the course of the illness and its functional outcome. However, more evidence is needed to improve our knowledge of the efficacy of physical exercise in plastically reorganizing the psychotic brain in the long term, especially within regions lacking specific investigations, such as motor circuitry.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/923physical exerciseneural plasticitybrain connectomicspsychosisgenuine movement abnormalities |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Saviola Giacomo Deste Stefano Barlati Antonio Vita Roberto Gasparotti Daniele Corbo The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings Brain Sciences physical exercise neural plasticity brain connectomics psychosis genuine movement abnormalities |
| title | The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings |
| title_full | The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings |
| title_short | The Effect of Physical Exercise on People with Psychosis: A Qualitative Critical Review of Neuroimaging Findings |
| title_sort | effect of physical exercise on people with psychosis a qualitative critical review of neuroimaging findings |
| topic | physical exercise neural plasticity brain connectomics psychosis genuine movement abnormalities |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/923 |
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