Abstract
Due to increasing life expectancy, low-cost interventions to counteract age-related memory impairment have gained popularity. Physical activity has been shown to positively affect memory and hippocampal plasticity in rodents and humans. These effects have been proposed to be mediated by the release of neurotrophic factors. However, studies examining the effects of a single cardiovascular exercise session on human memory have yielded conflicting results. Moreover, it remains unclear whether exercise-induced memory enhancements are related to changes in peripheral neurotrophic factor concentrations. The present study tested whether one bout of cardiovascular exercise during an early phase of memory consolidation, compared to one bout of stretching and toning, positively affected memory. Furthermore, it was analyzed whether exercise-induced changes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were related to memory enhancement after a single bout of physical exercise. Fifty healthy participants (20–40 years) were randomly assigned to either a cycling group (BIKE) or a stretching and toning group (STRETCH). Participants performed an implicit vocabulary learning task which was immediately followed by physical exercise. Memory for the learned vocabulary was tested 1–2 weeks later. To measure exercise-induced changes in serum neurotrophic factor levels, blood samples were collected at rest (baseline) and immediately after the exercise session. Results did not show a significant difference in memory between the BIKE group and the STRETCH group. However, in the BIKE group, a larger increase in BDNF and VEGF levels was observed than in the STRETCH group. Moreover, the increase in BDNF and memory performance tended to be positively related in the BIKE group. We speculate that the correlation between exercise-increased BDNF levels and memory in the cycling group may indicate an involvement of BDNF in mediating memory processes after acute cardiovascular exercise.
Highlights
Life expectancy has been increasing over the past decades (United Nations, 2013)
Comparing d’ in block 1 and within-session learning in the first learning-exercise session revealed no significant difference between the BIKE and the stretching and toning group (STRETCH) group (Table 3; no significant group × block interaction (ß = −0.02, 95% CI [−0.21, 0.17], p = 0.838)
The aim of this study was to test whether a single bout of cardiovascular exercise carried out in the early stages of memory consolidation improves memory as assessed with an artificial vocabulary learning task
Summary
Life expectancy has been increasing over the past decades (United Nations, 2013). As a result, a growing number of individuals are subject to age-related cognitive decline (Prince et al, 2015). Regular cardiovascular exercise has been reported to positively influence memory and to induce structural and functional changes in brain regions associated with memory, e.g., the hippocampus. G. et al, 2016) and increased hippocampal cerebral blood volume (Pereira et al, 2007) have been reported after a period of regular cardiovascular training. Some studies reported positive effects of an exercise intervention on memory (Stroth et al, 2009; Griffin et al, 2011), while others failed to find a difference in memory between an aerobic exercise group and a control group (Gourgouvelis et al, 2018). In a meta-analysis, Roig et al (2013) concluded that the positive effects of regular cardiovascular training on long-term memory were not reliably found. A better understanding of possible mediators underlying the effects of cardiovascular exercise on memory may resolve some of the observed inconsistencies and shed light on why some training studies yield more consistent exercise-induced memory effects than others
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