ABSTRACT
It is recognized worldwide that physical exertion provides health benefits. This positive effect is linked to the improvement of numerous functions, including cardiovascular, immunological, metabolic, osteoarticular, and brain functions. The identification of the mechanisms through which physical exercise exerts these health-protective effects is considered essential as it paves the way for future fundamental and therapeutic knowledge (Powell & Paffenbarger, 1985). Among health benefits provided by exercise, those related to central functions have been well documented. In particular, the observations of positive consequences of acute and chronic exercise on emotional behaviors in humans, including through anti-stress properties (Salmon, 2001), have led clinicians to use exercise as a therapeutic tool against several psychopathologies, especially mild depression and anxiety (Martinsen & Morgan, 1997; Raglin, 1997; Salmon, 2001; Ströhle, 2009). Thus, exercise alone, or in combination with subeffective antidepressant/anxiolytic medications, is reported to trigger mood and emotional improvements similar to those elicited by classical antidepressants and anxiolytics (Martinsen & Morgan, 1997; Raglin, 1997).
