Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by high incidence, high disability, and high fatality, causing great burden to the society, families, and individuals. The changes in brain plasticity may be a main reason for depression. Recent studies have shown that exercise plays a positive role in depression, but systematic and comprehensive studies are lacking on brain plasticity changes in depression. To further understand the antidepressive effect of exercise and the changes in brain plasticity, we retrieved related literatures using key words “depression,” “depressive disorder,” “exercise,” “brain plasticity,” “brain structure,” and “brain function” from the database of Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO host, and CNKI, hoping to provide evidence for exercise in preventing and treating depression. Increase in exercise has been found negatively correlated with the risk of depression. Randomized controlled experiments have shown that aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and mind‐body exercise can improve depressive symptoms and levels. The intensity and long‐term effect of exercise are now topical research issues. Exercise has been proven to reshape the brain structure of depression patients, activate the function of related brain areas, promote behavioral adaptation changes, and maintain the integrity of hippocampal and white matter volume, thus improving the brain neuroprocessing and delaying cognitive degradation in depression patients. Future studies are urgently needed to establish accurate exercise prescriptions for improving depressive symptoms, and studies on different depressive populations and studies using multimodal brain imaging combined with multiple analytical methods are also needed.

ObjectivesAimed to analyze the mediating effect of executive function between physical activity level and trait anxiety in college students.MethodsThe International Physical Activity Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Stroop task, 1-back task, and More-odd shifting task were used to analyze 248 college students.ResultsTrait anxiety were significantly correlated with shifting function (r = 0.182, P = 0.004) and inhibition function (r = 0.163, P = 0.010) and not with working memory (r = 0.056, P = 0.385). Vigorous physical activity (VPA) was most highly correlated with inhibition function (Beta = −0.144, P = 0.024) and working memory (Beta = −0.208, P = 0.001), and light physical activity (LPA) was most highly correlated with shifting function (Beta = −0.211, P = 0.001). Physical activity had a 72.31% association with trait anxiety (B = −0.195), with 11.79% mediated by inhibition function (B = −0.023) and 15.90% by shifting function (B = −0.031).ConclusionCollege students' physical activity promotes both inhibition and shifting functions, which in turn affect trait anxiety. VPA had a direct effect, while the effect of moderate physical activity (MPA) and LPA was completely mediated exclusively through executive functions, and the mediating effect of shifting function was the highest. It is recommended that college workers should motivate students with high trait anxiety to engage in more VPA and pay attention to changes in their inhibition and shifting functions.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the effect of low intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction on fall resistance in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO host, CNKI Database, VIP, Wanfang Database and CBMdisc were searched, and the retrieval period was from the beginning of each database to 25 July 2022. Randomized controlled trials were collected concerning the intervention of low intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction on lower limb muscle strength, muscle mass, muscle function, balance, walking and other fall resistance indicators in middle-aged and older adults. Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool was used for methodological quality assessment of the included literature. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and Stata 15.1. Results: A total of 14 randomized controlled trials (419 participants in total) were included in the study. Meta-analysis results revealed that low intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction significantly improved lower limb muscle strength (SMD = 0.51, 95%CI: [0.28, 0.74], p < 0.0001), lower limb muscle mass (MD = 1.99, 95%CI: [0.77, 3.22], p = 0.001) and walking ability (SMD = −0.89, 95% CI. [−1.71, −0.06], p = 0.03), while there was no apparent intervention effect on lower limb muscle function (SMD = 0.25, 95%CI: [−0.23, 0.73], p = 0.31) and balance (SMD = 0.22, 95%CI: [−0.08, 0.52], p = 0.15). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the intervention effect of low intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction on lower limb muscle strength was more significant in subjects aged 55–64 years, with exercise cycles of 4–8 weeks, exercise frequency of three times per week, exercise intensity of 20–30% 1RM, and vascular flow blocking pressure ≥ 120 mmHg. Conclusion: Low intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction can effectively improve lower limb muscle strength, muscle mass and walking ability in middle-aged and older adults, and can serve as an important form of fall resistance training for the older adults.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between physical activity level, executive function, and trait anxiety and focused on investigating the mediating role of the subcomponents of executive functions between different levels of physical activity intensity and trait anxiety.Methods: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Stroop task, 1-back task, and More-odd shifting task were used to analyze 248 college students by one-way ANOVA, linear regression analysis, and structural equation modeling analysis.Results: Trait anxiety were significantly correlated with shifting function (r=0.182, P=0.004) and inhibition function (r=0.163, P=0.010) and not with working memory (r=0.056, P=0.385). High-intensity physical activity level was most highly correlated with inhibition function (Beta=-0.144, P=0.024) and working memory (Beta=-0.208, P=0.001), and low-intensity physical activity level was most highly correlated with shifting function (Beta=-0.211, P=0.001). Physical activity level had a 72.31% direct effect on reducing trait anxiety (B=-0.195), with 11.79% mediated by inhibition function (B=-0.023) and 15.90% by shifting function (B=-0.031). High-intensity physical activity level had a direct effect on alleviating trait anxiety in 81.08% (B=-0.150), 9.19% mediated by inhibition function (B=-0.017), and 9.73% mediated by shifting function (B=-0.018). The effect of medium-intensity physical activity level on trait anxiety was 40.91% mediated by inhibition function (B=-0.018) and 56.82% mediated by shifting function (B=0.025). The effect of the low-intensity physical activity level on trait anxiety was mediated 34.62% by inhibition function (B=-0.018) and 65.38% by shifting function (B=-0.034).Conclusion: College students with trait anxiety suffer from impaired inhibition and shifting function. The facilitation effects of physical activity levels on executive function subcomponents were, in descending order, working memory, shifting function, and inhibition function, with high-intensity physical activity level contributing most to the facilitation of working memory and inhibition function, and low-intensity physical activity level contributing most to the promotion of shifting function. Physical activity promotes both inhibition and shifting functions, which in turn affect trait anxiety. The high-intensity physical activity level has a direct effect on trait anxiety, while the anxiolytic effect of medium and low-intensity physical activity level is mediated exclusively through executive functions, with the highest mediating effect of shifting function.