Tests aerobic exercise for people with depression

Who can take part

• Be able to give written informed consent
• Be between 18 and 59 years of age
• Be in generally good health as determined by the investigator (excluding Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis)
• Community dwelling with a current diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, and current depression episode/symptoms as determined via Beck's depression inventory-II (score 13-31)

Who cannot take part

• Change of pharmacological therapy less than 2 weeks prior to beginning of study (including beginning pharmacological treatment)
• Have a malignant disease or any concomitant end-stage organ disease
• Participants must not be currently receiving treatment involving experimental drugs. If the participant has been in a recent experimental trial, these must have been completed not less than 30 days prior to this study
• Regular, illegal drug use
• Have a significant acute or chronic coexisting illness [cardiovascular, gastrointestinal (GI) [including functional GI disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease], immunological, psychiatric [to include formal/clinical diagnosis or as determined via participant self-report i.e., bipolar spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis, but not anxiety disorder], neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic disorders [to include type I or II diabetes], or any condition which contraindicates, in the investigators judgement, entry to the study (including conditions which may prevent an individual from safely participating in low-to-moderate exercise intensities (57-76% heart rate max [HRmax], rating of perceived exertion [RPE]:9-13 (13))-i.e., cardiorespiratory disease[s])
• Having a condition or taking a medication that the investigator believes would interfere with the objectives of the study, pose a safety risk, or confound the interpretation of the study results; to include anti- inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, laxatives, enemas, proton-pump inhibitors, antibiotics, or probiotics (within 1 month of starting study), anti-coagulants, thrombocyte-aggregation blocking medication(s) and over-the counter non-steroidal analgesics. Participants should have a wash-out period of four-weeks of the above-mentioned medication to be eligible for participation
• Alcohol abuse disorder
• Current eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder)
• Individuals who are considered to be poor attendees, in the opinion of the investigator, or unlikely for any reason to be able to comply with the trial
• Are meeting the national physical activity guidelines (16) (i.e., at least 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity activity, five days a week (or 150 minutes a week), specifically in relation to structured aerobic exercise, as assessed via the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). NB: if guidelines are met from occupational or incidental physical activity, individuals would not meet exclusion criteria
• Current perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause, in the case of females
• Females who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy within duration of the study intervention period, or currently lactating
• Participants who are not fluent in English or English is not first language
• Are colour blind
• Have dyslexia or dyscalculia
• Are a current habitual daily smoker
• Acute suicidality or suicide attempt in the past 6 months