Exercise Promotes Neuroplasticity in Both Healthy and Depressed Brains: An fMRI Pilot Study

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of participants.

Variables	MDD	n	Healthy	n	df	p
Sex (male/female)	1/7	8	4/4	8	1	0.106^a
Age (years)	37.25 (8.00)	8	20.63 (1.19)	8	14	<0.0001^b
Body mass index (kg/m^2)	28.33 (5.12)	8	28.29 (7.91)	8	14	0.993^b
VO2max (ml.kg^−1.min^−1)	24.82 (8.00)	7	20.81 (6.48)	8	12	0.326^b
BDI	41.75 (3.50)	8	5.88 (5.03)	8	14	<0.0001^b
MoCA	24.63 (1.41)	8	26.13 (3.23)	8	14	0.248^b

Data are expressed as the mean with the standard deviation in parentheses. ^aPearson’s chi-square. ^bStudent’s t-test. VO₂max: maximum oxygen consumption; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory; MoCA: Montreal Cognitive Assessment.