Reduction in physical activity during Covid-19 lockdowns predicts individual differences in cognitive performance several months after the end of the safety measures

Abstract

Prior studies suggest that the reductions in physical activity during Covid-19-related lockdowns impacted physical and mental health. Whether reductions in physical activity that occurred during lockdowns also relate to cognitive functions such as memory and attention is less explored. Here, we investigated whether changes in physical activity (PA) that occurred during and following Covid-19-related lockdowns could predict a variety of measures of cognitive performance in 318 young adults. Participants were assessed on their engagement in PA before, during, and after lockdowns. They also completed tests of cognitive control, working memory, and short-term memory following lockdown(s). As expected, engagement in PA decreased during lockdown and returned to near baseline levels thereafter. Decreases in PA during lockdown predicted individual differences in cognitive performance following lockdown. Greater reductions in PA during lockdown were associated with lower scores on the go/no-go task, a measure of cognitive control ability, and the n-back task, a measure of working memory performance. Larger post-lockdown increases in PA were associated with higher scores on the same tasks. Individual differences in pandemic-related stress and insomnia also predicted cognitive outcomes. These findings suggest that reductions of PA can predict cognitive performance, and underscore the importance of maintaining PA for cognitive health, especially in situations such as lockdowns.