The effect of lifelong exercise on psychomotor reaction time: a study of 38 pairs of male monozygotic twins

Abstract

The effect of lifelong exercise on psychomotor reaction time: a study of 38 pairs of male monozygotic twins. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 1445-1450, 1998. Purpose: The aim was to study the effect of lifetime physical activity on psychomotor speed. Methods: Foot and dominant hand visual simple and choice psychomotor reaction times were studied among monozygotic twins (38 pairs) aged 35-69, discordant for lifetime exercise histories. Results: There was a trend that some components of psychomotor reaction time were faster for frequent than for occasional exercisers, but the findings were not consistent for the hand and feet. After controlling for occupational physical activity, only choice decision time for the hand (26 ms, P < 0.01) and choice reaction time for the contralateral foot (51 ms, P < 0.05) both remained 7% faster. There was no trend for systematic differences in reaction times between twins engaged in regular exercise versus their siblings exercising infrequently. Conclusions: Results suggest a somewhat smaller effect of exercise than reported in previous studies. Reaction time may be significantly affected only by vigorous, frequent exercise. Thus, health promotion through exercise may be unlikely to have notable effects on reaction time.