Table 1.

Effects of physical activity on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Reference	Sample	Treatment	Assessment outcome
[233]	13 young, healthy men	Moderate-intensity aerobic PA 4 d/wk for 5 wks	↑ plasma BDNF
[234]	7 healthy, sedentary males	Aerobic PA 7 d/wk for 12 wks	↑ plasma BDNF
[238]	60 older adults	Aerobic PA 3 d/wk for 60 wks	↑ BDNF and ↑ hippocampal volume
[236]	47 healthy, sedentary males	Aerobic PA 3 d/wk for 5 wks	↑ serum BDNF following PA and ↑ memory on face name matching
[235]	62 healthy, sedentary males	Moderate-intensity aerobic PA for 2 wks	↑ serum BDNF following PA and ↑ memory on face name matching
[247]	104 persons with partial response to antidepressants	Add-on high (16 kcal/kg/week) or low (4 KKW) PA for 12 wks to standard depression care	Persons entering with ↑ BDNF levels exhibited ↑ rate of response to antidepressants
[248]	15 severely depressed adults	Add-on aerobic PA 16 kcal/kg/week for 3 d/wk for 3 wks to standard care for depression or medication-only group	Similar ↑ in BDNF in aerobic PA and medication-only group, but ↓ in oxidative stress markers seen only in PA group