The effects of acute aerobic exercise on memory and cognition in healthy, young adults
Andrea Shang , Meredith Elman , Ryan Karmouta , Stacey DaSilva , Vincent Dodson ,
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2
2
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Jonathan Tang , Scott A Small , Adam M Brickman & Wendy A Suzuki
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1
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2
Performance on Cognitive Tasks Before vs. After Intervention
Exercise
Control
59
p=0.03
54
Before
After
OR
OR
Control
90 min
40
35
30
Cognitive
Testing
N=81
p<0.01
Before
Recognition
23.5
38
33
p=0.01
28
After
Before
II. Individual Delays
Future Directions
23.0
22.5
22.0
p=0.03
21.5
Before
After
After
Stroop Color Word
exercise n = 9;
control n = 11
67
OR
T-Score
exercise n = 10;
control n = 10
Exercise
Control
62
57
Themanson JR, Pontifex MB, Hillman CH (2008) Fitness and
action monitoring: evidence for improved cognitive flexibility in young adults. Neuroscience 157: 319-328.
Before
After
120 min delay
Hopkins Verbal Learning Test
Supported by: NYU ADVANCE Grant
Immediate Recall
* Only at testing before exercise/control intervention
Delayed Recall
47
48 female
20 female
28 female
22.17 (SD=3.76)
15.15 (SD=1.96)
(N=40)
22.57 (SD= 4.65)
14.80 (SD=1.88)
T-Score
Control
T-Score
Exercise
(N=41)
43
42
All
37
32
27
Please contact [email protected] for further details
44
T-Score
Participant Demographic Information
38
33
39
34
29
p=0.01
p<0.01
28
Before
After
30 min delay
References
Colcombe S & Kramer AF (2003) Fitness effects on the
cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study.
Psychol Sci 14(2): 125-130.
52
•Trail Making A and B
•Wechsler Test of Adult Reading*
•WAIS-III Digit Span
•Modified Benton Visual Retention Test
We are currently exploring the EEG signals
associated with these cognitive effects of acute
exercise.
Chang YK, Laban JD, Gapin JI, Etnier JL (2012) The effects of
acute exercise on cognitive performance: a meta-analysis.
Brain Res 1458:87–101.
p=0.06
Neuropsychological Tests
12.98 (SD=1.92)
Frontal lobe dependent tasks are highly sensitive
to the effects of just an hour of aerobic exercise.
43
120 min
Education (years)
-0.50
Number Correct
OR
(n=40)
60 minutes
watching an action
packed TV show
After
Delayed Recall
T-Score
T-Score
exercise n = 11;
control n = 9
exercise n = 11;
control n = 10
22.37 (SD=4.20)
Before
Hopkins Verbal Learning Test
60 min
Age (years)
0.50
30 min
Cognitive
Testing
•The controls’ decline in performance on the
HVLT after the intervention suggest that TV
watching may have a detrimental effect on performance on this task.
p=0.02
45
(n=41)
60 minutes of
aerobic exercise at
85% of max heart
rate on a stationary
bike
(N=81)
•These improvements may last for up to 120
minutes after the bout of exercise.
1.50
Z-Score
64
Immediate Recall
•Hopkins Verbal Learning Test
•Stroop Color and Word Test
•Symbol Digit Modalities
•Controlled Oral Word Association Test
Symbol Digit Modalities
Stroop Color Word
Methods
Exercise
•A single bout of aerobic exercise results in
significant improvement on frontal lobe
dependent tasks in healthy, young adults.
I. All Delays Combined
T-Score
Many previous studies have shown that higher levels of physical fitness are associated with higher
levels of cognitive performance (Themanson et al., 2008; Colcombe and Kramer, 2003). While most of
the exercise intervention studies have focused on chronic exercise paradigms, a growing body of work
in human populations has started to explore the effects of acute exercise (typically 30 minutes to
1 hour) on cognitive functions. While the overall findings have been mixed, a recent meta-analysis by
Chang et al., (2012) suggests that there is a small positive effect of acute exercise on cognition with
the possibility for larger effects when specific exercise parameters are used. To try to identify the tasks
that are most sensitive to an acute bout of exercise, we explored the effects of one hour of exercise
on a stationary bike on a range of cognitive tasks, focusing on tasks that tap frontal lobe functions. We
also asked how long the cognitive effects of acute exercise might last, examining delay intervals after
exercise from 30 minutes to 2 hours. These findings are a first step in a program of work designed to
identify the optimal exercise and cognitive/behavioral testing parameters that maximize the exercise
effects on cognition in humans.
Experimental Design
Summary & Conclusion
Results
Introduction
Gender
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Center for Neural Science, New York University, NY 10003 Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, NY 10032
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660.20/EEE22
N=81
1
Before
After
60 min delay
p=0.06
24
Before
After
60 min delay