Table 3.
Effect of exercise on BDNF and cognitive outcomes
| Variables | Baseline (T1) | Follow-up (T2) | Change within group | P value | Effect size |
| BDNF (pg/mL) | |||||
| Exercise | 4642.51 (7065.08) | 5308.17 (6355.73) | 123.96 (2690.97) | 0.07 | n/a |
| Control | 5330.86 (10 346.65) | 4477.95 (5002.88) | −530.79 (1427.44) | ||
| BDNF (pg/mL) outliers excluded | |||||
| Exercise | 4564.61 (5737.23) | 5173.27 (5997.54) | 135.86 (1709.74) | 0.024* | 0.3 |
| Control | 4593.74 (9558.29) | 3974.66 (3668.22) | −530.79 (838.43) | ||
| CANTAB PALTEA | |||||
| Exercise | 44 (30) | 46 (23) | .26 (10.29) | 0.08 | n/a |
| Control | 44 (22) | 33 (29) | −6 (15.3) | ||
| Stroop CWS | |||||
| Exercise | 66.42 (28.51) | 70.48 (30.66) | 4.00 (16.00) | 0.456 | n/a |
| Control | 75.25 (26.97) | 77.93 (27.42) | 1.00 (13.00) | ||
| SART commission errors | |||||
| Exercise | 2.5 (5) | 4 (4) | 0.5 (5) | 0.025* | 0.28 |
| Control | 3 (4) | 2 (3) | −1 (3) | ||
| SART reaction time (ms) | |||||
| Exercise | 142.04 (83.50) | 128.07 (74.42) | 4.84 (39.24) | 0.055 | n/a |
| Control | 154.57 (78.90) | 123.61 (79.62) | 27.66 (51.36) |
Primary analysis: Between-group differences T1 and T2 time points. Data are presented for the exercise (group A) and control group (group B) as mean±SD for normally distributed data and as median±IQR for non-normally distributed data. P value represents within-group differences with statistical significance.
*P<0.05.
BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CWS, colour word score; PALTEA, Paired Associates Learning Total Errors Adjusted; SART, Sustained Attention to Response Task; n/a, not applicable.