@phdthesis{Pietrek2023,
  author    = {Pietrek, Anou F.},
  title     = {Basic psychological needs and depression in the context of health and exercise},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Depressive Erkrankungen gehen mit verminderter Lebenszufriedenheit und reduzierter Arbeitsf{\"a}higkeit einher. Die Wartezeit f{\"u}r eine Psychotherapie betr{\"a}gt in Deutschland derzeit zwischen drei und sechs Monaten. Demnach besteht Bedarf an alternativen, gleichwertigen evidenzbasierten Behandlungsm{\"o}glichkeiten, die den Betroffenen niedrigschwellig zug{\"a}nglich gemacht werden. Eine Vielzahl an empirischen Studien belegt die Wirksamkeit von Sport bei leichten und mittelschweren Depressionen. Zur weiterf{\"u}hrenden Konzeption und Qualit{\"a}tssicherung von Sport als Behandlungsoption ist es notwendig die konkreten Wirkmechanismen zu verstehen. Neben physiologischen spielen auch psychologische Faktoren eine Rolle im Wirkungsgeschehen. Als Metatheorie menschlichen Erlebens und Verhaltens bietet die Selbstbestimmungstheorie (engl.: Self-Determination Theory; SDT) einen n{\"u}tzlichen Bezugsrahmen zum Verst{\"a}ndnis psychologischer Wirkmechanismen mit konkreten Ableitungen f{\"u}r die Behandlungspraktik. Die konzeptionelle Erweiterung der SDT um die Frustration psychologischer Grundbed{\"u}rfnisse erweist sich neben der Bed{\"u}rfnisbefriedigung zunehmend als hilfreich bei der Untersuchung von psychischen Erkrankungen. Der erste Teil dieser Dissertation besteht aus zwei Publikationen, die relevante Messinstrumente in dem genannten Kontext validieren. Der erste Fragebogen misst das Ausmaß an allgemein erlebter Befriedigung und Frustration der psychologischen Grundbed{\"u}rfnisse nach Autonomie, Kompetenz und sozialer Eingebundenheit. Der zweite Fragebogen erhebt die erlebte Bed{\"u}rfnisbefriedigung durch die anleitende Person (hier: Sporttherapeut*in). Der zweite Teil der Dissertation umfasst zwei Publikationen, welche die Befriedigung und Frustration der psychologischen Grundbed{\"u}rfnisse bei depressiven Symptomen untersuchen und einordnen. Es werden die Unterschiede im Ausmaß an Bed{\"u}rfnisbefriedigung und Bed{\"u}rfnisfrustration zwischen einer Stichprobe mit Depression mit einer Stichprobe ohne depressive Symptome untersucht. Der Zusammenhang zwischen Bed{\"u}rfnisfrustration und depressiven Symptomen wird im Kontext etablierter pathologischer Prozesse (Emotionsdysregulation, Rumination) eingeordnet. Die Hauptergebnisse dieser Arbeiten zeigen, dass die SDT durch die Erweiterung der Basic Psychological Needs Theory um die Dimension der Bed{\"u}rfnisfrustration ein nun breiteres Spektrum auf dem Gesundheit-Krankheit-Kontinuum abbildet. Dabei fokussiert die SDT auf die psychologische Wirkung von sozialen Umwelten. Neben der Nichterf{\"u}llung der psychologischen Grundbed{\"u}rfnisse ist es vor allem die Bed{\"u}rfnisfrustration, die einen allgemeinen Vulnerabilit{\"a}tsfaktor f{\"u}r das Vorkommen psychologischer Erkrankungen darstellt. Zudem weist die unausgewogene Befriedigung der psychologischen Grundbed{\"u}rfnisse m{\"o}glicherweise auf ein konflikthaftes Erleben zwischen den Bed{\"u}rfnissen hin. F{\"u}r die Behandlungspraktik abzuleiten ist, dass eine autonomieunterst{\"u}tzende Atmosph{\"a}re, die die ausgewogene Befriedigung aller drei Bed{\"u}rfnisse erm{\"o}glicht, zentral f{\"u}r den Behandlungserfolg ist.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schell2022,
  author    = {Schell, Mareike},
  title     = {Investigating the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on emotional behavior in diet-induced obese C57BL/6N mice},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {XVI, 117},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The prevalence of depression and anxiety is increased in obese patients compared to healthy humans, which is partially due to a shared pathogenesis, including insulin resistance and inflammation. These factors are also linked to intestinal dysbiosis. Additionally, the chronic consumption of diets rich in saturated fats results in body weight gain, hormonal resistances and unfavorable changes in the microbiome composition. The intake of Lactobacilli has already been shown to improve dysbiosis along with metabolism and mood. Yet, the beneficial role and the underlying mechanism of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) to improve emotional behavior in established diet-induced obese conditions are, so far, unknown. To characterize the role of LGG in diet-induced obesity, female and male C57BL/6N mice were fed a semi-synthetic low-fat diet (LFD, 10 \% kcal from fat) or a conventional high-fat diet (HFD, 45 \% kcal from fat) for initial 6 weeks, which was followed by daily oral gavage of vehicle or 1x10^8 CFU of LGG until the end of the experiment. Mice were subjected to basic metabolic and extensive behavioral phenotyping, with a focus on emotional behavior. Moreover, composition of cecal gut microbiome, metabolomic profile in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid was investigated and followed by molecular analyses. Both HFD-feeding and LGG application resulted in sex-specific differences. While LGG prevented the increase of plasma insulin, adrenal gland weight and hyperactivity in diet-induced obese female mice, there was no regulation of anxiodepressive-like behavior. In contrast, metabolism of male mice did not benefit from LGG application, but strikingly, LGG decreased specifically depressive-like behavior in the Mousetail Suspension Test which was confirmed by the Splash Test characterizing motivation for 'self-care'. The microbiome analysis in male mice revealed that HFD-feeding, but not LGG application, altered cecal microbiome composition, indicating a direct effect of LGG on behavioral regulation. However, in female mice, both HFD-feeding and LGG application resulted in changes of microbiome composition, which presumably affected metabolism. Moreover, as diet-induced obese female mice unexpectedly did not exhibit anxiodepressive-like behavior, follow-up analyses were conducted in male mice. Here, HFD-feeding significantly altered abundance of plasma lipids whereas LGG decreased branched chain amino acids which associated with improved emotional behavior. In nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and VTA/SN, which belong to the dopaminergic system, LGG restored HFD-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis, on gene expression level. Lastly, transcriptome analysis in the NAcc identified gene expression of cholecystokinin as a potential mediator of the effect of LGG on HFD-induced emotional alterations. In summary, this thesis revealed the beneficial effects of LGG application on emotional alterations in established diet-induced obesity. Furthermore, both HFD-feeding and LGG treatment exhibited sex-specific effects, resulting in metabolic improvements in female mice while LGG application mitigated depressive-like behavior in obese male mice along with a molecular signature of restored dopamine synthesis and neuropeptide signaling.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{PerezChaparro2022,
  author    = {P{\´e}rez Chaparro, Camilo Germ{\´a}n Alberto},
  title     = {Non-HIV comorbidities and exercise in German people living with HIV},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-56084},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-560842},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {149},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The post-antiretroviral therapy era has transformed HIV into a chronic disease and non-HIV comorbidities (i.e., cardiovascular and mental diseases) are more prevalent in PLWH. The source of these non-HIV comorbidities aside from traditional risk factor include HIV infection, inflammation, distorted immune activation, burden of chronic diseases, and unhealthy lifestyle like sedentarism. Exercise is known for its beneficial effects in mental and physical health; reasons why exercise is recommended to prevent and treat difference cardiovascular and mental diseases in the general population. This cumulative thesis aimed to comprehend the relation exercise has to non-HIV comorbidities in German PLWH. Four studies were conducted to 1) understand exercise effects in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength on PLWH through a systematic review and meta-analyses and 2) determine the likelihood of German PLWH developing non-HIV comorbidities, in a cross-sectional study. Meta-analytic examination indicates PLWH cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max SMD = 0.61 ml·kg·min-1, 95\% CI: 0.35-0.88, z = 4.47, p < 0.001, I2 = 50\%) and strength (of remark lowerbody strength by 16.8 kg, 95\% CI: 13-20.6, p< 0.001) improves after an exercise intervention in comparison to a control group. Cross-sectional data suggest exercise has a positive effect on German PLWH mental health (less anxiety and depressive symptoms) and protects against the development of anxiety (PR: 0.57, 95\%IC: 0.36 - 0.91, p = 0.01) and depression (PR: 0.62, 95\%IC: 0.41 - 0.94, p = 0.01). Likewise, exercise duration is related to a lower likelihood of reporting heart arrhythmias (PR: 0.20, 95\%IC: 0.10 - 0.60, p < 0.01) and exercise frequency to a lower likelihood of reporting diabetes mellitus (PR: 0.40, 95\%IC: 0.10 - 1, p < 0.01) in German PLWH. A preliminary recommendation for German PLWH who want to engage in exercise can be to exercise ≥ 1 time per week, at an intensity of 5 METs per session or > 103 MET·min·day-1, with a duration ≥ 150 minutes per week. Nevertheless, further research is needed to comprehend exercise dose response and protective effect for cardiovascular diseases, anxiety, and depression in German PLWH.},
  language  = {en}
}