Physical Exercise in Patients With First Psychotic Episode

University of Salamanca

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Telomere Length; First Episode Psychosis (FEP); Exercise

Treatments: Other: Other: Strength physical exercise programme; Other: Other: Normal life

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07207538

ExerciseFirstPsychoticEpisode

Details and patient eligibility

About

Justification: Patients with first-episode psychosis are at increased risk of premature ageing and early mortality, associated with telomere shortening and increased inflammatory markers. Physical exercise has shown protective effects in the general population, but there are no intervention studies in this population.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a strength training programme on telomere length and other markers of cellular ageing in people with a first episode of psychosis.

Material and methods: Quasi-experimental study with patients aged 18-35 years included in the PRINT programme (Salamanca). Standard treatment will be compared with standard treatment plus a 12-week strength training programme. Telomere length (qPCR), inflammatory and senescence markers (proteomics), body composition, frailty and quality of life will be analysed.

Applicability: The results could support the inclusion of physical exercise programmes as a complementary intervention in early psychosis care, promoting overall health, quality of life and reducing the gap in life expectancy compared to the general population.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• be at least 18 years of age
• Having experienced a first psychotic episode in the last 3 years

Exclusion criteria

• are unable to read and understand the patient information sheet and sign the informed consent form.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental: Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

n additional strength training programme will be carried out for 12 weeks with 2 sessions per week. The sessions will last approximately 50 minutes and will be divided into 3 distinct parts: The first part will consist of a warm-up with a part of aerobic exercise that will last approximately 15 minutes. This will be followed by the main part of strength training with a circuit of 6 exercises (3 series x 12 repetitions) which will last approximately 25 minutes. Finally, there will be a cool down phase with breathing exercises to allow people to recover.

Treatment:

Other: Other: Strength physical exercise programme

Sham Comparator: Control group

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Subjects in the control group will continue with their normal life and carry out all the activities they have been doing previously.

Treatment:

Other: Other: Normal life