Brain Health and Exercise in Schizophrenia

This is a 12-week, randomized trial with two parallel groups. Throughout the trial, subjects will be treated on their prescribed dose of medication. Once informed consent is obtained, subjects and healthy volunteers will be randomly assigned to either an aerobic or a resistance exercise program (N = 30 per diagnostic group in each of two exercise conditions). Patients will continue to receive their antipsychotics and other prescribed medications. Healthy volunteer data will be used to establish normal exercise-induced neuroplasticity in a non-psychiatric, non-medicated population and to establish differences in retinal vessel integrity between patients and healthy volunteers. All training will be conducted at the UBC Hospital and at dedicated exercise training facilities at the University of British Columbia. All fitness assessments (based on the initial 6-minute walk test) and exercise sessions will be monitored by trained research assistants (RAs) under the guidance of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology-Certified Exercise Physiologists (CSEP-CEPs). The RAs will receive pre-study exercise training from the CSEP-CEPs. During the course of the study, the training intensity will be changed according to the individual participant's response and needs via the CSEP-CEPs and RAs. Clinical data (current medications, current diagnoses, symptom profiles, resting heart rate, blood pressure, weight) will be collected on the hospital wards at baseline and follow-up. Neuroimaging and retinal imaging will be ascertained at the UBC MRI Research Centre at baseline and follow-up. Concurrent baseline assessments of executive functioning, memory capacity and crystallized IQ will be performed at baseline. Cognitive measures, excluding IQ, will be re-assessed at follow-up. Follow-up measures will only be collected in cases were patients are still available and willing to participate in study activities.