Publications

Our latest publications

Filippou, K., Knappe, F., Morres I.D., Tzormpatzakis, E., Proskinitopoulos, T., Theodorakis, Y., Gerber, M., & Hatzigeorgiadis, A. (2024). Objectively measured physical activity and mental health among asylum seekers residing in a camp. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102794.

Gerber, M., Schilling, T., Ludyga, S., Faude, O., Schmidt-Trucksäss, A., Cody, R., Straus, D., Schneiders, A., & Brupbacher, G. (2024). Validity and feasibility of four standardized aerobic fitness tests in patients with depression: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 181, 116-125.

Ludyga, S., Bruggisser, F., Leuenberger, R., Ishihara, T., Kamijo, K., Brotzmann, M., Trescher, S., Förster, M., & Gerber, M. (2024). Acute effects of exercise on gaze fixation and affective response inhibition in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Autism Research, 17, 1934-1943.


Selected publications in peer reviewed journals

Arnaiz, P., Bergman, M.M., Seelig, H., Adams, L., Dolley, D., Gerber, M., Joubert, N., Nqweniso, S., Steinmann, P., Utzinger, J., du Randt, R., Walter, C., Pühse, U., & Müller, I. (2024). Perceived acceptance and feasibility of the KaziKidz health promotion intervention among educators and caregivers in schools in South Africa.BMC Public Health, 24, 934.

Arnaiz, P., Seelig, H., Gerber, M., Adams, L., Degen, J., Dolley, D., Joubert, N., Nienaber, M., Nqweniso, S., Steinmann, P., Utzinger, J., Du Randt, R., Walter, C., Pühse, U., & Müller, I. (2023). Intervention effects and long-term changes in physical activity and cardiometabolic outcomes among children at risk of noncommunicable diseases in South Africa: a cluster-randomized controlled trial and follow-up analysis.Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1199381.

Beckmann, J., Nqweniso, S., Ludyga, S., du Randt, R., Gresse, A., Long, K.Z., Nienaber, M., Seelig, H., Pühse, U., Steinmann, P., Utzinger, J., Walter, C., Gerber, M., & Lang, C. (2022). Evaluation of a physical activity and multi-micronutrient intervention on cognitive and academic performance in South African primary schoolchildren. Nutrients, 14, 2609.

Brand, S., Gerber, M., Beck, J., Hatzinger, M., Pühse, U. & Holsboer-Trachsler, E. (2010). Exercising, sleep-EEG patterns, and psychological functioning are related among adolescents.World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 11, 129-140.

Brand, S., Gerber, M., Colledge, F., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Ludyga, S. (2019). Acute exercise and emotion recognition in young adolescents. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 41, 129-136.

Brand, S., Kalak, N., Gerber, M., Clough, P.J., Lemola, S., Pühse, U., & Holsboer-Trachsler, E. (2016). During early and mid-adolescence, greater mental toughness is related to increased sleep quality and psychological functioning.Journal of Health Psychology, 21, 905-915.

Cody, R., Christensen, M., Kreppke, J.-N., Faude, O., Gerber, M., & Nicca, D. (2022). The experience of a physical activity counseling intervention among people with major depression within the PACINPAT trial – A reflexive thematic analysis. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 23, 100464.

Cody, R., Beck, J., Brand, S., Donath, L., Eckert, A., Faude, O., Hatzinger, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Imboden, C., Kreppke, J.-N., Lang, U.E., Mans, S., Mikoteit, T., Oswald, A., Pühse, U., Schweinfurth, N., Zahner, L., & Gerber, M. (2022). Depression severity and psychosocial determinants of physical activity behavior in in-patients with major depressive disorders.Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 63, 102294.

Coimbra, M., Cody, R., Kreppke, J.-N., & Gerber, M. (2020). Impact of a physical education-based behavioural skill training program on cognitive antecedents and exercise and sport behavior among adolescents: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 26, 26-35.

Ehrbar, J., Brand, S., Colledge, F., Donath, L., Egger, S.T., Hatzinger, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Imboden, C., Schweinfurth, N., Vetter, S., & Gerber, M. (2018). Psychiatric in-patients are more likely to meet recommended levels of health-enhancing physical activity if they engage in exercise and sport therapy programs.Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 322.

Eisenhut, L., Sadeghi-Bahmani, D., Gerber, M., Saemann, A., Staub, L., Brand, S., & Cordier, D. (2022). Effects of two types of exercise training on psychological well-being, sleep and physical fitness in patients with high-grade glioma (WHO III and IV). Journal of Psychiatric Research, 151, 354-364.

Fischer, X., Donath, L., Zahner, L., Faude, O., & Gerber, M. (2020).  Exploring psychosocial mediators of remote physical activity counselling: A secondary analysis of data from a 1-year randomized control trial (Movingcall). Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 43, 271-285.

Gall, S., Müller, I., Walter, C., Seelig, H., Steenkamp, L., Pühse, U., du Randt, R., Smith, D., Adams, L., Nqweniso, S., Yap, P., Ludyga, S., Steinmann, P., Utzinger, J., & Gerber, M. (2017). Associations between selective attention and soil-transmitted helminth infections, socioeconomic status, and physical fitness in disadvantaged children in Port Elizabeth, South Africa: An observational study.PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11, e0005573.

Gerber, M., Ayekoé, S.A., Beckmann, J., Bonfoh, B., Kouassi,B., Gba, B.C., Traoré, S.G., Coulibaly, J.T., Daouda, D., Du Randt, R., Finda, M.F., Minja, E.G., Gall, S., Mollel, G.J., Lang, C., Long, K.Z., Masanja, H., Müller, I., Nqweniso, S., Okumo, F.O., Probst-Hensch, N., Pühse, U., Steinmann, P., Walter, C., & Utzinger, J. (2021). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness among primary schoolchildren living in Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa and Tanzania.Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 671782.

Gerber, M., Best, S., Meerstetter, F., Walter, M., Ludyga, S., Brand, S., Bianchi, R., Madigan, D.J., Isoard-Gautheur, S., & Gustafsson, H. (2018). Effects of stress and mental toughness on burnout and depressive symptoms: A prospective study with young elite athletes.Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21, 1200-1205.

Gerber, M., Claussen, M.C., Cody, R., Imboden, C., Ludyga, S., Scherr, J., Seifritz, E., & von Känel, R. (2021). Cardiovascular disease and excess mortality among people with depression: Meta-analytic evidence and the potential of physical activity as a game changer.German Journal of Sports Medicine, 72, 261-270.

Gerber, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Brand, S. (2016). Exercise is medicine for patients with major depressive disorders. But only if the “pill” is taken! Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 12, 1977-1981.

Gerber, M., Jakowski, S., Kellmann, M., Cody, R., Gygax, B., Ludyga, S., Müller, C., Ramseyer, S., & Beckmann, J. (2023). Macronutrient intake as a prospective predictor of depression symptom severity: An exploratory study with adolescent elite athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 66, 102387.

Gerber, M., Kreppke, J.-N., Cody, R., Beck, J., Eckert, A., Hatzinger, M., Imboden, C., Lang, U., Mans, S., Mikoteit, T., Schreiner, A.-K., Schweinfurth, N., Brand, S., Zahner, L., Faude, O. (2022). Do high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness mitigate the cardiovascular risk of in-patients with major depressive disorders and healthy controls? Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 44, S80-S80.

Gerber, M., Lindwall, M., Lindegård, A., Börjesson, M., & Jonsdottir, I.H. (2013). Cardiovascular fitness protects from stress-related symptoms of burnout and depression. Patient Education and Counseling, 93, 146-152.

Gerber, M., Minghetti, A., Beck, J., Zahner, L., & Donath, L. (2018). Sprint interval training and continuous aerobic exercise training have similar effects on exercise motivation and affective responses to exercise in patients with major depressive disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 694.

Gerber, M. & Pühse, U. (2009). Do exercise and fitness protect against stress-induced health complaints? A review of the literature.Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 37, 801-819.

Imboden, C., Claussen, C.M., Gerber, M., Hofmann Gonzalez, C., Hemmeter, U., & Seifritz, E. (2020). Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SSSPP) position paper: Physical activity and mental health.Swiss Sports & Exercise Medicine, 68, 14-18.

Imboden, C., Gerber, M., Beck, J., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Hatzinger, M. (2020). Aerobic exercise or stretching as add-on to inpatient treatment of depression: similar antidepressant effects on depressive symptoms and larger effects on working memory for aerobic exercise alone. Journal of Affective Disorders, 276, 866-876.

Joubert, N., Walter, C., du Randt, R., Aerts, A., Adams, L., Degen, J., Gall, S., Müller, I., Nienaber, M., Nqweniso, S., des Rosiers, S., Seelig, H., Smith, D., Steinmann, P., Probst-Hensch, N., Utzinger, J., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2021). Hypertension among South African children in disadvantaged areas and associations with physical activity, fitness and cardiovascular risk markers: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Sports Sciences, 39, 2454-2467.

Kalak, N.*, Gerber, M.*, Kirov, R., Mikoteit, T., Yordanova, J., Pühse, U., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Brand, S. (2012). Daily morning running for 3 weeks improved sleep and psychological functioning in healthy adolescents compared with controls.Journal of Adolescent Health, 51, 615-622.

Knappe, F., College, F., & Gerber, M. (2019). Impact of an 8-wek exercise and sport intervention on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, mental health and physical fitness among male refugees living in a Greek refugee camp.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, 3904.

Knappe, F., Filippou, K., Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Morres, I.D., Ludyga, S., Seelig, H., Tzormpatzakis, E., Havas, E., Theodorakis, Y., von Känel, R., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2024). The impact of an exercise and sport intervention on cognitive function and pain among forcibly displaced individuals at risk for PTSD: a secondary analysis of the SALEEM randomized controlled trial.BMC Medicine, 22, 387.

Kreppke, J.N.*, Cody, R.*, Beck, J., Brand, S., Donath, L., Eckert, A., Imboden, C., Hatzinger, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Lang, U., Ludyga, S., Mans, S., Mikoteit, T., Oswald, A., Schweinfurt-Keck, N., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Zahner, L., & Gerber, M. (2024). Long-term outcomes of physical activity counseling in in-patients with major depressive disorder. Results from the PACINPAT randomized controlled trial.Translational Psychiatry, 14, 160.

Lang, C., Brand, S., Colledge, F., Ludyga, S., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2018). Adolescents’ personal beliefs about sufficient physical activity are more closely related to sleep and psychological functioning than self-reported physical activity: A prospective study.Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8, 280-288.

Lang, C., Brand, S., Colledge, F., Pühse, U., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Gerber, M., (2019). Teaching stress management in physical education: A quasi-experimental study with vocational students.Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 63, 245-257.

Lang, C., Kalak, N., Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2015). The relationship between physical activity and sleep from mid adolescence to early adulthood. A systematic review of methodological approaches and meta-analysis.Sleep Medicine Reviews, 25, 28-41.

Looser, V.N., Gerber, M., & Ludyga, S. (2024). Physical activity and verbal memory performance: Mediating effects of resting-state brain activity.Progress in Brain Research, 286, 33-66.

Looser, V.-N., Ludyga, S., & Gerber, M. (2023). Does heart rate variability mediate the association between chronic stress, cardiorespiratory fitness and working memory in young adults?Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, 33, 607-618.

Long, K., Lang, C., Nqweniso, S., Seelig, H., Beckmann, J., Probst-Hensch, N., Pühse, U., Steinmann, P., du Randt, R., Walter, C., Utzinger, J., & Gerber, M. (2024). Randomized trial to improve children’s body composition and micronutrient status.American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 66, 1078-1088.

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Brand, S., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Pühse, U. (2016). The acute effects of moderate aerobic exercise on specific aspects of executive function in different age and fitness groups: A meta-analysis.Psychophysiology, 53, 1611-1626.

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Brand, S., Möhring, W., & Pühse, U. (2021). Do different cognitive domains mediate the association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and adolescents’ off-task behaviour in the classroom? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 194-211.

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Bruggisser, F., Leuenberger, R., Brotzmann, M., Trescher, S., Förster, M., Zou, L., Herbrecht, E., & Hanke, M. (2023). A randomized cross-over trial investigating the neurocognitive effects of acute exercise on face recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 16, 1630-1639.

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., & Kamijo, K. (2022). Exercise types and working memory components during development.Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26, 191-203.

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., Pühse, U., Looser, V.-N., & Kamijo, K. (2020). Systematic review and meta-analysis investigating moderators of long-term effects of exercise on cognition in healthy individuals are moderated by sex, exercise type and dose. Nature Human Behaviour, 4, 603-612.

Ludyga, S., Hanke, M., Leuenberger, R., Bruggisser, F., Pühse, U., Gerber, M., Lemola, S., Capone-Mori, A., Keutler, C., Brotzmann, M., & Weber, P. (2023). Martial arts and cognitive control in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and children born very preterm: A combined analysis of two randomized controlled trials.Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 55, 777–786.

Meyer, S., Grob, A., & Gerber, M. (2021). No fun, no gain: The stress-buffering effect of physical activity on life satisfaction depends on adolescents’ intrinsic motivation. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 56, 102004.

Mücke, M., Ludyga, S., Colledge, F., & Gerber, M. (2018). Influence of regular physical activity and fitness on stress reactivity as measured with the Trier Social Stress Test protocol: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48, 2607-2622.

Mücke, M., Ludyga, S., Colledge, F., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2020). Association of physical activity with inhibitory control and prefrontal brain activity under acute psychosocial stress. Brain Sciences, 10, 439.

Müller, I., Walter, C., du Randt, R., Aerts, A., Adams, L., Degen, J., Gall, S., Joubert, N., Nqweniso, S., Des Rosiers, S., Smith, D., Seelig, H., Steinmann, P., Wadhwani, C., Probst-Hensch, N., Utzinger, J., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2020). Association between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and clustered cardiovascular risk in South African children from disadvantaged communities: Results from a cross-sectional study.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6, e000823.

Schilling, R., Colledge, F., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2020). Stress-buffering effects of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness on metabolic syndrome: A prospective study with police officers. PLoS ONE, 15, e0236526.

Schilling, R., Herrmann, C., Ludyga, S., Colledge, F., Brand, S., Pühse, U., & Gerber, M. (2020). Does cardiorespiratory fitness buffer stress reactivity and stress recovery in police officers? A real-life study.Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 594.

Stubbs, B., Vancampfort, D., Hallgren, M., Firth, J., Veronese, N., Solmi, M., Brand, S., Cordes, J., Malchow, B., Gerber, M., Schmitt, A., Correll, C.U., De Hert, M., Gaughran, F., Schneider, F., Kinnafik, F., Falkai, P., Möller, H.-J., & Kahl, K.G. (2018). EPA guidance on physical activity as a treatment for severe mental illness: A meta-review of the evidence and Position Statement from the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), supported by the International Organization of Physical Therapists in Mental Health (IOPTMH).European Psychiatry, 54, 124-144.






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