Effects of exercise on mood changes, autonomic function and frontal alpha band lateralization in depressed university students

Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on the mood, autonomic nervous system function, and frontal lobe alpha band lateralization of depressed university students, providing evidence-based references for exercise interventions in depression. Methods 34 university students with mild to moderate depression were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either an exercise group or a control group. The exercise group undertook aerobic exercise three times weekly for 60 minutes per session over an 8-week period, while the control group maintained their usual lifestyle. Questionnaire assessments, interviews, resting electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements were employed to evaluate therapeutic differences between the two groups before and after intervention. Results Following the 8-week intervention, the exercise group exhibited significantly reduced BDI-II scores (decrease of 11.65, P