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conferenceseries
.com
April 24-25, 2017 Las Vegas, USA
16
th
World Congress on
Psychiatry and Psychological Syndromes
Volume 20, Issue 2 (Suppl)
J Psychiatry 2017
ISSN: 2378-5756 Psychiatry, an open access journal
Psychiatry 2017
April 24-25, 2017
J Psychiatry 2017, 20:2 (Suppl)
http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2378-5756-C1-018Impact of exercise on catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in depressive patients: A preliminary
communication
Lara S F Carneiro
1
, Maria Paula Mota
1
, Maria Augusta Vieira-Coelho
2
, Antonio Manuel Fonseca
3
and
Jose Vasconcelos-Raposo
4
1
CIDESD, Portugal
2
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
3
Faculdade de Desporto da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
4
University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
S
tatement of theProblem:
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a catabolic enzyme involved in thedegradationofmonoamines
including the neurotransmitter dopamine. In fact, a decreased level of endogenous dopaminergic neurotransmitter has been
reported in depressive subjects, as well as higher COMT activity in depressive patients in comparison to non-depressed subjects.
Exercise has become increasingly accepted as an effective therapy in reducing depressive symptoms. However, the neurobiological
mechanisms underpinning this improvement remain poorly clarified. The present study provides a key contribution to understand
the paths by which exercise modulates the monoamine system. Indeed, the effect of exercise on COMT activity is unknown and
it remains to be explained if chronic exercise changes COMT activity. This randomized control trial assesses the effects of chronic
exercise on a soluble cytoplasmic isoform (S-COMT) activity in women with clinical depression.
Methodology &Theoretical Orientation:
Fourteen women (aged: 51.4±10.5 years) diagnosed with clinical depression (according to
the International Classification of Diseases-10) were randomized to one of two groups: Pharmacotherapy plus exercise (n=7) or only
pharmacotherapy (n=7). The aerobic exercise program comprised a 45-50 min/session, three times a week for 16 weeks. Erythrocyte
soluble COMT has been evaluated before and after the exercise intervention.
Findings:
Exercise group in comparison to control group demonstrated a significant decrease (p=0.02, r=-0.535) in S-COMT activity
between baseline and after 16 weeks.
Conclusion & Significance:
Adding exercise to the usual treatment (pharmacotherapy) decreases significantly S-COMT activity
levels of clinical depressed patients after 16 weeks. Our results provide evidence that exercise interferes with S-COMT activity, a
molecular mechanism involved in depression.
larafcarneiro@gmail.com