Functionality and Neurocognition in Patients With Bipolar Disorder After a Physical-exercise Program (FINEXT-BD Study)

Functionality and Neurocognition in Patients With Bipolar Disorder After a Physical-exercise Program (FINEXT-BD Study): Protocol of a Randomized Interventionist Program

This is a study that aimed to deep in the physiopathology of BD and see how, through potential modifiable areas of the patients' lifestyle, the prognosis and evolution of the pathology can be improved.

Randomized interventionist study (ratio 1:1) with two parallel branches, blinded by evaluators (the evaluator does not know the branch of treatment to which the patient belongs )to evaluate if an individualized moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise intensity program as adjuvant therapy to standard drug therapy will improve the functional and neuropsychological status of patients with Bipolar Disorder. The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed by an extensive battery of clinical tests, physical parameters (e.g. brain structure changes measured by optical coherence tomography) and biological parameters (inflammation, oxidative stress and neurotrophic factors).

The total sample of the study will be 80 patients and a sample of 40 controls (individuals without psychiatric pathology). The sample of patients will be divided into 40 patients in each group at random. In the intervention group, a supervised physical exercise treatment by high-intensity interval training (HIT) will be performed during 16 weeks with 2 sessions per week (32 sessions in total).Three visits will be made in both groups: baseline visit at the beginning of the study, at 4 months (at the end of the intervention) and at 10 months (6 months after the end of the intervention)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I according to the criteria of the DSM-5 manual, diagnosis made by structured interview SCID-P.
• The study includes patients with first episode and multiple episodes. At the beginning of the study they must be in euthymia, that is, there will be no current diagnosis of manic, hypomanic or depressive episode. Relapses during follow-up and the presence of subindromial symptoms at any time will not result in exclusion from the study.
• Patients may be treated with any treatment according to clinical guidelines.
• Age: 18-65 years
• Speak Spanish correctly
• Informed consent for the study of the patient

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of organic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) or history of head trauma with loss of consciousness
• Intellectual disability.
• Acute inflammatory disease
• Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs during the week prior to sample taking
• Pervasive developmental disorders.
• Pregnancy and lactation