BERLIN (Dispatches) -- A new study says that physical activity not only reduces depressive symptoms. It also increases the brain’s ability to change.
Researchers at the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) confirm that since physical activity increases the brain’s ability to change, it is necessary for adaptation and the learning processes.
The results show that the ability to change which is lower in people with depression, increased significantly and achieved the same values as healthy people. At the same time, depressive symptoms decreased in the group. “The more the ability to change increased, the more clearly the clinical symptoms decreased,” said study leader associate professor Dr. Karin Rosenkranz.
The brain’s ability to change, known as neuroplasticity, was also measured. It can be determined externally with the help of transcranial magnetic stimulation.