Table 2.

Average serum BDNF levels at baseline and after a 5-week intervention (expressed in ng/mL ± SEM) and resulting average BDNF change (expressed in ng/mL ± SEM) in the total cohort and in each cohort (Sweden, Boston). To determine the effect size, Cohen’s d values were calculated by dividing the average change by the standard deviation of the change.

		Physical exercise	Cognitive training	Mindfulness practice	Control condition
Total cohort	Number subjects	29	39	39	39
	Baseline	24.5 ± 1.45	23.3 ± 1.45	26.6 ± 1.34	24.0 ± 1.22
	Post	24.8 ± 1.40	25.6 ± 1.38	26.6 ± 1.23	23.0 ± 1.48
	Change	0.39 ± 0.97	2.29 ± 0.82	−0.01 ± 0.81	−0.96 ± 0.79
	Cohen’s d	0.07	0.45	0.002	0.19
Vaxjo cohort	Number subjects	15	21	20	20
	Baseline	21.0 ± 1.94	20.9 ± 1.94	23.3 ± 2.09	21.7 ± 1.32
	Post	23.2 ± 2.16	24.6 ± 1.99	23.7 ± 1.81	20.0 ± 1.51
	Change	2.13 ± 1.34	3.74 ± 1.34	0.38 ± 1.38	−1.69 ± 0.94
	Cohen’s d	0.41	0.61	0.06	0.40
Boston cohort	Number subjects	14	18	19	19
	Baseline	28.1 ± 1.76	26.1 ± 2.03	30.0 ± 1.30	26.3 ± 1.97
	Post	26.6 ± 1.70	26.7 ± 1.90	29.6 ± 1.36	26.1 ± 2.42
	Change	−1.48 ± 1.26	0.61 ± 0.70	−0.42 ± 0.83	−0.20 ± 1.30
	Cohen’s d	0.31	0.21	0.12	0.04