Cycling and...umm...Oh, Yeah--Memory!

Differential Effects of Acute Exercise on Distinct Aspects of Executive Function.

Weng, Timothy B.; Pierce, Gary L.; Darling, Warren G.; Voss, Michelle W.

Purpose: To increase understanding about the effects of moderate intensity physical activity on cognitive function, the current study examined whether a single bout of aerobic exercise exerts differential effects on distinct aspects of executive function in healthy young adults.

Methods: A within-subjects study was designed where 26 young adult participants (mean age = 25.23 years, 12 males) engaged in a thirty-minute bout of both a) moderate intensity aerobic cycling and b) passive motor-driven cycling, occurring on two separate occasions and counterbalanced in their order. To assess changes in cognitive function, performance on two tasks of executive function-working memory and inhibitory control, counterbalanced in the order of administration-was collected before and immediately following each exercise session.

Results: Results indicate that working memory performance on the 2-back condition of a facial n-back task was acutely enhanced by moderate intensity exercise (mean increase in accuracy = 6.4 +/- 1.1%), which was significantly greater than the changes following passive exercise control (p < 0.05). This finding was not observed for inhibitory control in which neither of the exercise sessions elicited significant changes in performance on a flanker task.

Conclusions: Acute aerobic exercise evokes differential effects upon executive functions. This specificity in behavioral outcomes leads to the prediction that brain mechanisms related to working memory, compared to inhibitory control, are selectively benefited by moderate intensity exercise.

Original Source found here: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Differential_Effects_of_Acute_Exercise_on_Distinct.97890.aspx?source=sas

COMMENTS: Notice that the duration of exercise in the study is only 30 minutes.  Prolonged exercise (and, indeed, any stress) results in prolonged exposure to glucocorticoids and have been shown to actually inhibit memory (not to mention the adverse affects on immune function, metabolism, etc).  The extent to which one can tolerate greater durations/volumes is directly proportional to sound nutrition/lifestyle principles.