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<0.05) and HAMD scores (decrease of 10.76, P<0.05), alongside decreased total frontal lobe alpha band power and markedly improved lateralization indices (P<0.05). Among time-domain indicators, the exercise group exhibited a significant reduction in HR (95%CI:-21.13,-0.52, P<0.05) RMSSD significantly increased (95%CI: 10.93, 45.31, P<0.01), while the control group exhibited a significant decrease in RMSSD (95%CI: -54.11, -7.18, P<0.05); In frequency domain metrics, the exercise group exhibited a significant reduction in LFn (95%CI: -32.58, -6.59, P<0.01), while HFn significantly increased (95%CI: 2.77, 29.81, P<0.05). The control group exhibited a significant decrease in HFn (95%CI: -25.14, -3.02, P<0.05). Correlation analysis further revealed enhanced coordination within psychological and physiological systems post-intervention, alongside emerging inter-system associations. The degree of improvement in individual depressive symptoms showed a significant negative correlation with the extent of heart rate reduction (r s = -0.684, P = 0.002), suggesting a potential synchronous mechanism underpinning both improvements. Conclusion Improvements in autonomic nervous function and frontal lobe EEG metrics indicate that long-term, regular aerobic exercise can alleviate depressive mood in university students, enhance frontal lobe brain function, and balance sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity. This holds promise as an effective method for alleviating depression. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting structured exercise programs as a campus-based supplementary intervention for depression among university students.