The relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and executive function among individuals with schizophrenia: differences by illness duration

Autor: Viviane Grassmann, Mehala Subramaniapillai, Mark Duncan, Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Guy E. Faulkner
Jazyk: English<br />Portuguese
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 39, Iss 4, Pp 309-315 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1809-452X
1516-4446
DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2016-2106
Popis: Objective: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness characterized by positive and negative symptoms. Cognitive impairment continues to be a core and consistent deficit. Previous studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is positively associated with cognitive performance. Thus, it may play a supportive role in mitigating cognitive impairments among individuals with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and executive function among adults with schizophrenia. Methods: The weekly amount of MVPA (assessed using accelerometers) and executive function (as per Brief Neurocognitive Assessment for Schizophrenia) of 78 adults with schizophrenia (mean [SD] age 42.4 [11.4] years; illness duration 17.0 [11.0] years; 58.2% male) were assessed in this cross-sectional study. Pearson correlations were calculated, followed by a linear regression. Participants were first analyzed together and then dichotomized on the basis of illness duration. Results: There was no significant association between MVPA and executive function, independent of the duration of illness. For individuals with < 15 years of illness, there was a significant association between weekly MVPA and working memory performance. Conclusion: PA appears to be associated with executive function in some, but not all, individuals with schizophrenia.
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