Ceasing exercise induces depression-like, anxiety-like, and impaired cognitive-like behaviours and altered hippocampal gene expression

•Exercise had modest effects on behaviours.•Stopping exercise increased depression- and anxiety-behaviours.•Exercise cessation appeared to impair some cognitive-like behaviours.•Hippocampal gene expression (GE) was altered following exercise cessation.•Replication of results and translation into high quality clinical trials is needed.