

Concerning vulnerability, an excess or lack of dopamine can cause mental disorders, such as depression. In addition, dopamine plays a crucial role in maintaining chemical balance within the central nervous system. Dopamine has essential roles in regulating motor neurons, spatial memory function, motivation, and reinforcement learning.

Dopamine is synthesized in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, acting as a signalling molecule. The physiological roles of dopamine were first described in 1957. Therefore, it seems that PA is a potential alternative to deal with mental health issues.ĭopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter that is known to be modulated by physical activity (PA) and exercise. These findings further strengthen the idea that innovative approaches could include PA interventions for treating and preventing mental disorders. Thus, there are robust effects of physical exercise on dopamine. By contrast, regarding the potential effects of dopamine on PA, findings were mixed across studies. We observed robust findings concerning the potential effects of PA on dopamine, which notably seem to be observable across a wide range of participants characteristics (including age and sex), a variety of PA characteristics, and a broad set of methods to analyse dopamine. Fifteen articles were included in the review. The inclusion criteria were longitudinal and experimental study design outcomes included dopamine and exercise effect of exercise on dopamine and vice versa adults and articles published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish.

The article search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in December 2020. This systematic review aims to analyse the potential bidirectional effects of exercise on dopamine from young adulthood to old age. Physical activity (PA) may influence the secretion of neurotransmitters and thereby have positive consequences for an individual’s vulnerability (i.e., reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms).
