Acute exercise and mindfulness meditation on learning and memory: randomized controlled intervention.

Malina Austin,Paul D Loprinzi

doi:10.15171/hpp.2019.43

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the potential combined effects of acute exercise and mindfulness mediation on episodic memory. Methods: All data collection occurred in the authors’ laboratory (January to May of 2019). In this three-arm, within-subject design, participants (N=20; Mage=21.6 years) completed three counterbalanced laboratory visits, including Exercise Only, Exercise + Meditation and Control. Learning and memory were assessed from a word-list task. A one-factor repeated-measures ANOVA was computed for two memory outcomes, including the learning outcome (average performance across the 6 trials) and the long-term memory recall (10-minute delay). Results: The exercise conditions had a greater learning effect when compared to the Control visit, Mdiff = 0.68 (95% CI: 0.10, 1.25), P = 0.02. The Exercise + Memory visit had better longterm memory when compared to Exercise Only, Mdiff = 0.95 (95% CI: 0.07, 1.83), P = 0.03. Conclusion: The present experiment provides suggestive evidence that acute exercise may enhance learning and, when coupling acute exercise prior to encoding with meditation during early consolidation, long-term memory may be enhanced.

Highlights

Among young adults, emerging experimental work has started to examine the effects of exercise on memory function, providing suggestive evidence that acute exercise may enhance learning and memory function.[1,2,3,4]
In addition to acute exercise, emerging work suggests that mindfulness meditation may play an important role in subserving cognition
We recently demonstrated that a combination of acute exercise and mindfulness meditation was optimal in enhancing aspects of executive function,[11] which has been shown to influence memory function.[12]

Summary

Introduction

Among young adults, emerging experimental work has started to examine the effects of exercise on memory function, providing suggestive evidence that acute exercise may enhance learning and memory function.[1,2,3,4] We have previously detailed the dearth of research on this topic among this population.[5]. We recently demonstrated that a combination of acute exercise and mindfulness meditation was optimal in enhancing aspects of executive function,[11] which has been shown to influence memory function.[12] Further, after memory encoding, mindfulness meditation has been shown to facilitate motor memory consolidation.[13]. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the potential combined effects of acute exercise and mindfulness mediation on episodic memory. Conclusion: The present experiment provides suggestive evidence that acute exercise may enhance learning and, when coupling acute exercise prior to encoding with meditation during early consolidation, long-term memory may be enhanced

Methods

Results

Conclusion