The Experimental Effects of Acute Exercise Intensity on Episodic Memory and Working Memory Function

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential intensity-dependent effects of acute exercise on episodic memory and working memory capacity. A counterbalanced, randomized controlled, within-subject design was employed (N=20; Mage=20.8 yrs). The three counterbalanced visits included a control visit, moderate-intensity exercise (40% of HRR) and high-intensity exercise (70% of HRR). Episodic memory was assessed from a word-list task, including an immediate and delayed (20-min delay) assessment. Working memory capacity was assessed from the Brown-Peterson task. Immediate episodic memory recall was similar across the three conditions (8.5-8.7 words). However, for the 20-min delay period, the high-intensity exercise condition had a higher word recall score than the two other conditions (5.7 vs. 4.9). For the working memory task, there was a statistically significant main effect for condition (F=4.3, P=0.02, η2p=0.18), main effect for delay period (F=30.6, P