LIFE trial V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of physical activity
IRAS ID
332824
Contact name
Jonathan Roiser
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Sponsor Reference Number, 161223
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is widely accepted that any level of exercise can help prevent and treat depression, but how this works is not well-understood. Understanding how exercise treats depression could allow exercise programmes to be made more effective, more widely available, and allow for exercise to be tailored to be most effective for each individual person.
There is evidence that symptoms of depression are linked to a range of psychological and biological processes relating to motivation: these are (1) psychological processes important for acquiring reward, (2) the brain's chemical messenger dopamine, and (3) inflammation in the body. Exercise reduces inflammation and boosts dopamine and processing of reward, which could improve symptoms of depression related to motivation. This trial aims to understand how exercise changes inflammation, dopamine, and reward processing.The objective is to test the effect of aerobic exercise on inflammation, dopamine, brain activity and behaviour during reward processing, and symptoms of depression relating to motivation. The effect of aerobic exercise will be tested in 125 participants by comparing them to the effect of stretching and relaxation on 125 separate participants. Stretching and relaxation is not expected to cause a change in inflammation, dopamine, brain activity and behaviour during reward processing, or symptoms of depression related to motivation, allowing us to test the effect of aerobic exercise whilst accounting for other non-specific effects of being in a trial (for example, the placebo effect).
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0152
Date of REC Opinion
15 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion