Schizophrenia (Photo : Getty Images)
Aerobic exercise can be of considerable help to people coping with schizophrenia and its long-term mental health effects, said a new study from the University of Manchester.
By combining data from 10 independent clinical trials with a total of 385 patients with schizophrenia, researchers found that some 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training can significantly improve patients' brain functioning.
The research also showed that patients treated with aerobic exercise programs such as treadmills and exercise bikes in combination with their medication, will improve their overall brain functioning more than those treated with medications alone.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder typified by abnormal social behavior and failure to understand what is real. Common symptoms include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, hearing voices, reduced social engagement and a lack of motivation.
Areas most improved by exercising were the patients' ability to understand social situations; their attention spans and their working memory, or how much information they can hold in mind at one time.
There was also evidence among the studies that programs using more exercise, and those that were most successful for improving fitness, had the greatest effects on cognitive functioning.
"Cognitive deficits are one aspect of schizophrenia which is particularly problematic," said Joseph Firth, who took part in the study.
"They hinder recovery and impact negatively upon people's ability to function in work and social situations. Furthermore, current medications for schizophrenia do not treat the cognitive deficits of the disorder.
He said his team was searching for new ways to treat these aspects of the illness, and now research is increasingly suggesting that physical exercise can provide a solution.
These findings present the first large-scale evidence supporting the use of physical exercise to treat the neurocognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
"Using exercise from the earliest stages of the illness could reduce the likelihood of long-term disability, and facilitate full, functional recovery for patients," he noted.
Schizophrenia's acute phase is typified by hallucinations and delusions. These are usually treatable with medication, however. Most patients are still troubled by pervasive cognitive deficits, including poor memory, impaired information processing and loss of concentration.
The study by Joseph Firth, Dr Brendon Stubbs and Professor Alison Yung was published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, the world's leading journal on Schizophrenia and one of leading periodicals in Psychiatry.
