Effect of Resistance Exercise on Depression in Mild Alzheimer Disease Patients With Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia was reported to be independently associated with depression. 1 Chang KV Hsu TH Wu WT et al. Is sarcopenia associated with depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Age Ageing. 2017; 46: 738-746 Crossref PubMed Scopus (116) Google Scholar Conversely, depressive symptoms can decrease the muscle mass and strength in patients with sarcopenia. 2 Wang H Hai S Liu Y et al. Association between depressive symptoms and sarcopenia in older Chinese community-dwelling individuals. Clin Interv Aging. 2018; 13: 1605-1611 Crossref PubMed Scopus (42) Google Scholar The prevalence of depression in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) is significantly high compared to patients without AD and is especially increased in the mild stage of AD. 3 Orgeta V Qazi A Spector A et al. Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety in dementia and mild cognitive impairment: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry. 2015; 207: 293-298 Crossref PubMed Scopus (129) Google Scholar Therefore, management of depressive symptoms is essential in patients with sarcopenia, especially in those who had mild AD. Resistance exercise, effective treatment for increasing muscle mass, and muscle strength in people with sarcopenia is known to effectively alleviate depressive symptoms. 4 Gordon BR McDowell CP Hallgren M et al. Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018; 75: 566-576 Crossref PubMed Scopus (196) Google Scholar We evaluated the effects of resistance exercise on depression, muscle mass, and muscle function in women with mild AD and sarcopenia.