Psychobiological Responses to Aerobic Exercise in Individuals With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract Previous reports have shown improvements in mood and increases in endocannabinoids in healthy adults following a session of aerobic exercise, but it is unclear whether adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience similar responses. The purpose of this study was to examine psychobiological responses (plasma endocannabinoids [eCBs], mood, and pain) to aerobic exercise in a sample of adults with a diagnosis of PTSD ( n = 12) and healthy controls ( n = 12). Participants engaged in an aerobic exercise session in which they ran on a treadmill for 30 min at a moderate intensity (70 to 75% maximum heart rate [MHR]). Results indicated improvements in mood states and reductions in pain for both groups following exercise, d s = 0.19 to 1.53. Circulating concentrations of N ‐arachidonylethanolamine (AEA), 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG), and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) significantly increased ( p s = .000 to .050) following the aerobic exercise session for both groups. There were no significant time, group, or interaction effects ( p s = .062 to .846) for palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and 2‐oleoylglycerol (2‐OG). Although eCBs increased significantly for both groups, within‐group effect size calculations indicated the healthy controls experienced a greater magnitude of change for AEA when compared with adults with PTSD, d = 1.21 and d = 0.45, respectively; as well as for 2‐AG, d = 0.43 and d = 0.21, respectively. The findings from this study indicated that adults with and without PTSD reported significant mood improvements following 30 min of moderate‐intensity aerobic exercise. In addition, the endocannabinoid system was activated in adults with and without PTSD, although effect sizes suggest that adults with PTSD may have a blunted endocannabinoid response to exercise.