Exercise decreases defensive responses to unpredictable, but not predictable, threat. Issue 9 (10th April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lago, Tiffany R.; Hsiung, Abigail; Leitner, Brooks P.; Duckworth, Courtney J.; Chen, Kong Y.; Ernst, Monique; Grillon, Christian
• Is Part Of: Depression and anxiety. Volume 35:Issue 9(2018)
• Page Start: 868
• Page End: 875
• Publication Date: 2018-04-10
• Subjects: anxiety/anxiety disorders -- electrophysiology -- exercise -- PTSD/posttraumatic stress disorder -- startle -- treatment; Anxiety -- Periodicals; Depression, Mental -- Periodicals; Depression -- Periodicals; Anxiety -- Periodicals; Anxiety Disorders -- Periodicals; 616.8527005
• DOI: 10.1002/da.22748
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1091-4269

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Research supports the anxiolytic effect of exercise, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. This study examines the influence of exercise in healthy controls on two distinct defensive states implicated in anxiety disorders: fear, a phasic response to a predictable threat, and anxiety, a sustained response to an unpredictable threat. Methods: Thirty‐four healthy volunteers (17 male, age M = 26.18, SD = 5.6) participated in sessions of exercise (biking at 60–70% of heart rate reserve) and control (biking at 10–20% of heart rate reserve) activity for 30 min, separated by 1 week. Threat responses were measured by eyeblink startle and assessed with the "Neutral‐Predictable‐Unpredictable threat test, " which includes a neutral (N) and two threat conditions, one with predictable (P) and one with unpredictable (U) shock. Results: Results show that exercise versus control activity reduces startle potentiation during unpredictable threat ( P = .031), but has no effect on startle potentiation during predictable threat ( P = .609). Conclusions: These results suggest that exercise reduces defensive response to unpredictable, but not predictable, threat, a dissociation that may help inform clinical indications for this behavioral intervention, as well as provide clues to its underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms.