Abstract
Exercise-induced cognitive improvements have traditionally been observed following aerobic exercise interventions; that is, sustained sessions of moderate intensity. Here, we tested the effect of a 6 week high-intensity training (HIT) regimen on measures of cognitive control and working memory in a multicenter, randomized (1:1 allocation), placebo-controlled trial. 318 children aged 7-13 years were randomly assigned to a HIT or an active control group matched for enjoyment and motivation. In the primary analysis, we compared improvements on six cognitive tasks representing two cognitive constructs (N = 305). Secondary outcomes included genetic data and physiological measurements. The 6-week HIT regimen resulted in improvements on measures of cognitive control [BFM = 3.38, g = 0.31 (0.09, 0.54)] and working memory [BFM = 5233.68, g = 0.54 (0.31, 0.77)], moderated by BDNF genotype, with met66 carriers showing larger gains post-exercise than val66 homozygotes. This study suggests a promising alternative to enhance cognition, via short and potent exercise regimens. Funded by Centre for Brain Research. NCT03255499.
Highlights
The most reliable means to induce cognitive improvements behaviorally, physical exercise has become known for its effects on the brain in addition to its well-documented impact on the body
These results are corroborated by increased long-term potentiation (LTP) in the visual system of physically fit individuals compared to the non-fit (Smallwood et al, 2015), a key finding given the primary role of LTP in major cognitive processes such as learning and memory (Bliss and Collingridge, 1993, Bliss and Lomo, 1973)
All packages were retrieved from CRAN (RRID:SCR_003005; https://cran.r-project.org/)
Summary
The most reliable means to induce cognitive improvements behaviorally, physical exercise has become known for its effects on the brain in addition to its well-documented impact on the body (see for a review Moreau and Conway, 2013). Greater fitness indices have been linked to differences in white matter integrity (ChaddockHeyman et al, 2014; Voss et al, 2013), as well as with larger hippocampal (Weinstein et al, 2012) and cortical areas (Erickson et al, 2009; Makizako et al, 2015) These results are corroborated by increased long-term potentiation (LTP) in the visual system of physically fit individuals compared to the non-fit (Smallwood et al, 2015), a key finding given the primary role of LTP in major cognitive processes such as learning and memory (Bliss and Collingridge, 1993, Bliss and Lomo, 1973).
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