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The stress-buffering effect of acute exercise: Evidence for HPA axis negative feedback
Abstract
According to the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis, physically trained individuals show lower physiological and psychological responses to stressors other than exercise, e.g. psychosocial stress. Reduced stress reactivity may constitute a mechanism of action for the beneficial effects of exercise in maintaining mental health. With regard to neural and psychoneuroendocrine stress responses, the acute stress-buffering effects of exercise have not been investigated yet. A sample of highly trained (HT) and sedentary (SED) young men was randomized to either exercise on a treadmill at moderate intensity (60-70% VO2max; AER) for 30 min, or to perform 30 min of "placebo" exercise (PLAC). 90 min later, an fMRI experiment was conducted using an adapted version of the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). The subjective and psychoneuroendocrine (cortisol and α-amylase) changes induced by the exercise intervention and the MIST were assessed, as well as neural activations during the MIST. Finally, associations between the different stress responses were analysed. Participants of the AER group showed a significantly reduced cortisol response to the MIST, which was inversely related to the previous exercise-induced α-amylase and cortisol fluctuations. With regard to the sustained BOLD signal, we found higher bilateral hippocampus (Hipp) activity and lower prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity in the AER group. Participants with a higher aerobic fitness showed lower cortisol responses to the MIST. As the Hipp and PFC are brain structures prominently involved in the regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, these findings indicate that the acute stress-buffering effect of exercise relies on negative feedback mechanisms. Positive affective changes after exercise appear as important moderators largely accounting for the effects related to physical fitness.
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“For example, in a study by Zschucke and colleagues, overall cortisol output was reduced following a mild cognitive challenge task when participants engaged in 30 min of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise (at 60-70% VO 2-peak) prior to the mental challenge compared to participants who did not engage in any exercise.(Zschucke et al., 2015).”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“Three studies demonstrate that various modalities of acute exercise (e.g.outdoor walking, ergometer bicycling) can reduce the HPA-axis sCort response to various psychosocial stressor tasks (Wood et al., 2018;Wunsch et al., 2019;Zschucke et al., 2015).”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“When prior studies have implemented an exercise protocol prior to a stressor, they have primarily used a binary model with an exercising and non-exercising group (Wood et al., 2018;Zschucke et al., 2015).”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“In their work, highly trained and sedentary men were randomized to aerobic exercise (at 60-70% VO2-peak) or placebo exercise (light stretching) prior to a mild laboratory psychosocial stressor.”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“Zschucke and colleagues (2015) were the first to posit that cross-stressor adaptation of acute exercise may occur as a result of glucocorticoid negative feedback.”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“Men in the aerobic exercise condition showed smaller cortisol change scores from pre-to post-psychosocial stressor compared to the placebo exercise condition.”
From The effects of exercise intensity on the cortisol response to a subsequent acute psychosocial stressor. (2021) · cites this paper as Zschucke et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“Additional research conducted in healthy or other clinical populations provides evidence that acute and regular exercise regulate or improve one's stress-related activation of the HPA axis, including a blunted cortisol response”
From Exercise Intervention in PTSD: A Narrative Review and Rationale for Implementation (2019) · cites this paper as [118]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Zschucke, E., Renneberg, B., Dimeo, F., Wüstenberg, T., & Ströhle, A.
- Affiliations
- Constructor University (DE)
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Zschucke, Elisabeth
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-01
- Volume
- 51
- Pages
- 414-425
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2087854698
- Cited by
- 253
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 7
- FWCI
- 6.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Keywords
- acute exercise, stress buffering, psychosocial stress, cortisol, alpha-amylase, cardiorespiratory fitness, Montreal Imaging Stress Task, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, mental health
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Physiological, Adult, Affect, Brain, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Physical Fitness, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Saliva, Stress, Psychological, Exercise, Feedback, Physiological, Young Adult, Functional Neuroimaging
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