Abstract
Background: The purpose of this review was to evaluate whether acute exercise intensities have unique effects on memory function, and whether this is influenced by memory type as well as the temporality of the acute exercise bout.Methods: A systematic review was employed, using several databases (PubMed, PsychInfo,Sports Discus, Google Scholar, Embase).Results: In total, 9 articles met the study criteria. All 9 studies evaluated either working memory capacity or episodic-related memory function. The main findings across these studies were 1) when acute exercise occurs before the memory task, high-intensity exercise may be less favorable for working memory but may favor episodic memory; 2) when acute exercise occurs during the memory task, high-intensity exercise may be less favorable for working memory capacity; and 3) high-intensity exercise may not associate with long-term memory function when it occurs shortly after memory encoding.Conclusion: The relationship between acute exercise and memory is complex and may vary based on the intensity of exercise, the temporality of exercise, and the memory type evaluated.
Highlights
Memory function is critical for optimal daily function
Few studies have evaluated varying acute exercise intensities on memory function, and it is not possible to provide strong conclusions. These findings suggest that: 1) when acute exercise occurs before the memory task, high-intensity exercise may be less favorable for working memory but may favor episodic memory; 2) when acute exercise occurs during the memory task, high-intensity exercise may be less favorable for working memory capacity; and 3) high-intensity exercise may not associate with long-term memory function when it occurs shortly after memory encoding
The first observation of this review was that there was some suggestive evidence that when acute exercise occurs before the memory task, high-intensity exercise may be less favorable for working memory but may favor episodic memory
Summary
Memory function is critical for optimal daily function. Retrospective memory recall refers to the ability to recall past events, with episodic memory defined as the retrospective recall of past episodes or events in a spatio-temporal context (what-where-when aspects of memory). Emerging work suggests that acute exercise (and chronic) may subserve both episodic and working memory capacity.[1,2,3,4,5] We have previously discussed the potential mechanisms through which exercise may influence episodic memory function.[6,7] These postulated exercise-related mechanisms include, for example, 1) Enhanced neuronal excitability; 2) Enhanced attentional resource allocation to facilitate memory encoding; 3) Upregulation of AMPA receptor levels, opening NMDA channels, and increasing EPSP (excitatory post-synaptic potentials) in the hippocampus; 4) The priming of neurons to be encoded in the memory trace by increasing CREB transcription; 5) BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) expression; and 6) Enhanced dendritic spine growth These exercise-induced changes are likely to occur in brain structures (e.g., prefrontal cortex and hippocampus) that subserve memory function. Conclusion: The relationship between acute exercise and memory is complex and may vary based on the intensity of exercise, the temporality of exercise, and the memory type evaluated
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