Abstract
Background: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between habitual physical activity engagement and perceived controllability of memory function. Secondary objectives included the evaluation of physical activity on memory strategy use, and whether the latter mediates the relationship between physical activity on memory controllability. Methods: Two-hundred and nine young adults (Mage=25 y) completed a brief survey evaluating physical activity (Physical Activity Vital Signs Questionnaire), memory strategy use (Memory Functioning Questionnaire), and memory controllability (Memory Controllability Inventory). Results: Physical activity was not associated with memory strategy use (β=0.68; 95% CI: -1.25,2.62; P=0.48), nor was memory strategy use associated with memory controllability. Physical activity was consistently associated with various attributes of memory controllability, including Present Ability (β=1.10; 95% CI: 0.07, 2.12; P=0.03), Potential Improvement (β=0.84; 95% CI:0.05, 1.63; P=0.03), Effort Utility (β=0.87; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.61; P=0.02), Inevitable Decrement (β=-1.19; 95% CI: -2.19, -0.19; P=0.02) and Alzheimer’s likelihood (β=-1.21; 95% CI: -2.29,-0.12; P=0.02). Conclusion: Physical activity is consistently associated with greater perceptions of memory controllability. Future longitudinal and experimental work on this topic is warranted to evaluate if physical activity can foster an individual’s ability to modify their behavior and cognitions to enhance and preserve memory function.
Highlights
The field of memory function is not new, but the potential role of physical activity in subserving memory function is an emerging line of inquiry
Physical activity was not statistically significantly associated with memory strategy use when memory strategy use was expressed as a sum of the responses from the 8 memory strategy variables (β = 0.68; 95% CI: -1.25, 2.62; P = 0.48)
The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate if, among a young adult sample, habitual engagement in physical activity was associated with memory controllability, and whether this potential association was influenced by memory strategy utilization
Summary
The field of memory function is not new, but the potential role of physical activity in subserving memory function is an emerging line of inquiry. Various laboratories,[1,2,3,4,5] including ours,[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] has demonstrated that both acute and chronic engagement in physical activity may enhance memory function. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between habitual physical activity engagement and perceived controllability of memory function. Physical activity was consistently associated with various attributes of memory controllability, including Present Ability (β = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.07, 2.12; P = 0.03), Potential Improvement (β = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.05, 1.63; P = 0.03), Effort Utility (β = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.61; P = 0.02), Inevitable Decrement (β = -1.19; 95% CI: -2.19, -0.19; P = 0.02) and Alzheimer’s likelihood (β = -1.21; 95% CI: -2.29, -0.12; P = 0.02). Future longitudinal and experimental work on this topic is warranted to evaluate if physical activity can foster an individual’s ability to modify their behavior and cognitions to enhance and preserve memory function
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