Physical Exercise for Treating the Anxiety and Depression Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Depression and anxiety are non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Physical exercise is a promising approach to reducing neuropsychological burden. We aimed to comprehensively synthesize evidence regarding the use of exercise for treating depression and anxiety symptoms in PD.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA recommendations. Searches on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) was conducted. The random-effects model was employed for all analyses with the standardized mean difference as the effect estimate.

Results: Fifty records were retrieved, but only 17 studies met the criteria for the meta-analyses. A moderate to large effect was observed for depression (-.71 [95% CI = -.96 to -.46], 11 studies, 728 individuals), and a small to moderate effect for anxiety (-.39 [95% CI = -.65 to -.14], 6 studies, 241 individuals), when comparing exercise to non-exercise controls. Subgroup analysis revealed significant effects from aerobic (-.95 [95% CI = -1.60, -.31]), mind-body (-1.85 [95% CI = -2.63, -1.07]), and resistance modalities (-1.61 [95% CI = -2.40, -.83]) for depression, and from mind-body (-.67 [95% CI = -1.19 to -.15]) and resistance exercises (-1.00 [95% CI = -1.70 to -.30]) for anxiety.

Conclusion: Physical exercise has a relevant clinical impact on depression and anxiety in PD. We discuss the level of the evidence, the methodological limitations of the studies, and give recommendations.