Laboratory-based Exercise Research Articles

Breath of Knowledge: An Interactive Computer-Based Program and Group Exercise to Teach Gas Exchange.

Background: Foundational principles of pulmonary gas exchange are complicated and can be difficult for trainees to master. Computer-based programs can provide opportunities for interactive instruction, but previous literature has not demonstrated the impact of such programs on learning this topic. Objective: To evaluate whether the addition of an interactive, clinically relevant computer-based gas exchange program and small-group exercise to reinforce principles of gas exchange improves medical student learning as measured by performance on relevant multiple-choice exam questions. Methods: This was a pre-post study design surrounding the implementation of a gas exchange program used during a small-group session with students working through a manual of prepared experiments during the 2023-2024 academic year at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Student examination scores before program implementation (academic year 2022-23) were compared with student examination scores after program implementation. Questions were dichotomized a priori based on their relevance to the principles reinforced by the program. Student perceptions of the program were assessed by a postcourse survey. Results: When comparing the control (n = 106) and intervention (n = 114) groups, scores improved for both non-gas exchange questions (P < 0.001) and gas exchange questions (P < 0.001). Although the improvement in gas exchange questions was greater than in other questions, this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.09 for the interaction term). Most students were satisfied with the program and rated it more useful than a traditional didactic lecture. Conclusion: At a time when medical school instruction is dominated by lectures with few laboratory-based exercises, we offer this interactive, computer-based program as a strategy to reinforce principles of gas exchange. By tailoring accompanying cases and exercises to different groups of learners, this resource can be implemented in diverse settings.

Social Comparison in Healthy Adult Peloton Bikers: How Visual Display of Exercise Data Affects Performance

UniversityIn group exercise settings, individuals compare their performance against others, a process called social comparison. Although social comparison in laboratory-based exercise settings has been investigated, little is known about how exercising with others can boost motivation to perform in a non-laboratory group exercise setting with data display. Peloton bikers (N = 26) completed the same 30-minute cycling session in three conditions: group data display, individual data display, and no data display. Participants’ exercise performance (i.e., heart rate, calories burned, and distance cycled) was assessed for each condition. Ego orientation and social comparison were investigated as predictors of performance. Results indicated that in the group data condition, participants had higher heart rates (p = .02), calories burned (p = .03), and longer distance cycled (p &lt; .001) compared to the no data condition. Positive correlations emerged between social comparison and calories burned (r = .52), social comparison and distance (r = .45), and calories burned and distance (r = .75). Additionally, there was a negative correlation between ego orientation and HR (r = -.45), and between task and ego orientations (r = -.47). Ego orientation explained 19% of the variance in HR, and social comparison accounted for 20% and 27% of the variance in distance and calories burned, respectively. These results suggest that social comparison, ego orientation, and visually displayed data can all improve exercise performance. This study is bridging the gap between research and practice by providing further evidence of the application of the motivational effect of visually displayed exercise data in a group exercise setting. Specifically, fitness professionals can utilize the visual presentation of exercise data to increase their participant’s engagement, while being cognizant of the risk of over-exertion.

Relationship Between Heart Rate and Perceived Exertion in Neuromuscular Diseases: How do Laboratory-Based Exercise Testing Results Translate to Home-Based Aerobic Training Sessions?

To examine the heart rate-perceived exertion relationship between maximal exercise testing and home-based aerobic training in neuromuscular diseases. Multicentre randomized controlled trial, intervention group data. Individuals with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (n = 17), post-polio syndrome (n = 7) or other neuromuscular diseases (n = 6). Participants followed a 4-month, homebased aerobic training programme guided by heart rate. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (6-20 Borg Scale) were assessed for each minute during a maximal exercise test, and at the end of each exercise interval and recovery period during training. Heart rate and corresponding ratings of perceived exertion values of individual participants during training were visualized using plots, together with the exercise testing linear regression line between heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion. High correlation coefficients (i.e. > 0.70) were found between heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion, in all participants during testing (n = 30), and in 57% of the participants during training. Based on the plots the following distribution was found; participants reporting lower (n = 12), similar (n = 10), or higher (n = 8) ratings of perceived exertion values for corresponding heart rates during training compared with testing. Most participants had a different perception of effort for corresponding heart rates during training in comparison with exercise testing. Healthcare professionals should be aware that this may imply under- and over-training.

Heart rate and oxygen uptake kinetics obtained from continuous measurements with wearable devices during outdoor walks of patients with COPD.

Continuous physiological measurements during a laboratory-based exercise test can provide physiological biomarkers, such as heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (V̇O2) kinetics, that carry clinically relevant information. In contrast, it is not clear how continuous data generated by wearable devices during daily-life routines could provide meaningful biomarkers. We aimed to determine whether valid HR and V̇O2 kinetics can be obtained from measurements with wearable devices during outdoor walks in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). HR (Polar Belt) and V̇O2(METAMAX3B) were measured during 93 physical activity transitions performed by eight patients with COPD during three different outdoor walks (ntr = 77) and a 6-minute walk test (ntr = 16). HR and V̇O2 kinetics were calculated every time a participant started a walk, finished a walk or walked upstairs. HR and V̇O2 kinetics were considered valid if the response magnitude and model fit were adequate, and model parameters were reliable. Continuous measurements with wearable devices provided valid HR kinetics when COPD patients started or finished (range 63%-100%) the different outdoor walks and valid V̇O2 kinetics when they finished (range 63%-100%) an outdoor walk. The amount of valid kinetics and kinetic model performance was comparable between outdoor walks and a laboratory-based exercise test (p > .05). We envision that the presented approach could improve telemonitoring applications of patients with COPD by providing regular, unsupervised assessments of HR kinetics during daily-life routines. This could allow to early identify a decline in the patients' dynamic physiological functioning, physical fitness and/or health status.

Learning R for Biologists: A Mini Course Grab-Bag for Instructors

As biology becomes more data driven, teaching students data literacy skills has become central to biology curriculum. Despite a wealth of online resources that teach researchers how to use R, there are few that offer practical laboratory-based exercises, with teaching resources such as keys, learning objectives, and assessment materials. Here, we present a modular set of lessons and lab activities to help teach R through the platform of RStudio. Both software applications are free and open source making this curriculum highly accessible across various institutions. This curriculum was developed over several years of teaching a graduate level computational biology course. In response to the pandemic, the class was shifted to be completely online. These resources were then migrated to GitHub to make them broadly accessible to anyone wanting to learn R for the analysis of biological datasets. In the following year, these resources were used to teach the course in a flipped format, which is the lesson plan presented here. In general, students responded well to the flipped format, which used class time to conduct live coding demos and work through challenges with the instructor and teaching assistant. Overall, students were able to use these skills to practice analyzing and interpreting data, as well as producing publication quality graphics. While the modules presented range from very basic, doing simple summary statistics and plotting, to quite advanced, where R is integrated onto the command line, teachers should feel free to pick and choose which elements to incorporate into their own curriculum. <em>Primary Image:</em> R‐Mini‐Course: An Introduction to R. The primary image was generated with BioRender to be a small representation of the applicability of R that we cover in our course.

Effectiveness of self-managed home and community exercise interventions in improving physical activity, body adiposity and related health indices in adults living with HIV: a protocol for a systematic review

Background and objectivesDisorders of adipose tissue distribution in people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been associated with significant metabolic derangements that increase their risk of cardiometabolic and other chronic diseases. Systematic reviews focusing on supervised laboratory-based exercise interventions demonstrate that these interventions improve adipose tissue distribution and related health outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH). However, there is a need to examine the effectiveness of more pragmatic home or community exercise programmes. The aim of this review will be to synthesize existing evidence on the effectiveness of self-managed home or community exercise interventions to improve physical activity levels, adipose tissue distribution and associated health indices in PLWH.MethodsThis review will encompass interventional studies that evaluate the effect of prescribed exercise programmes performed in the home or community with minimal supervision, by adults living with HIV. The following will be searched from inception: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Clinicaltrials.gov. Screening of studies and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. The risk of bias in included studies will be assessed using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) and the Risk of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies-of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool for non-randomized concurrently controlled and single-arm interventional studies. A random effects meta-analysis will be used to pool effect estimates for outcomes of interest (measures of physical activity and body adiposity). However, if pooling is deemed inappropriate due to substantial differences between studies, a narrative synthesis will be performed. This protocol is written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols 2015 statement (see Additional file 1).DiscussionThis review shall provide evidence to support or disapprove the prescription of self-managed exercise interventions in a particularly vulnerable population. We will equally explore the potential impact of technology in improving physical activity outcomes. Our findings could help guide clinicians involved in the care of PLWH in prescribing exercise and inform the design of future trials and research.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42021223357.

Problem- Based Cybersecurity Lab with Knowledge Graph as Guidance

Lecture-based teaching paired with laboratory-based exercises is most commonly used in cybersecurity instruction. However, it focuses more on theories and models but fails to provide learners with practical problem-solving skills and opportunities to explore real-world cybersecurity challenges. Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been identified as an efficient pedagogy for many disciplines, especially engineering education. It provides learners with real-world complex problem scenarios, which encourages learners to collaborate with classmates, ask questions and develop a deeper understanding of the concepts while solving real-world cybersecurity problems. This paper describes the application of the PBL methodology to enhance professional training-based cybersecurity education. The authors developed an online laboratory environment to apply PBL with Knowledge-Graph (KG) based guidance for hands-on labs in cybersecurity training.Learners are provided access to a virtual lab environment with knowledge graph guidance to simulated real-life cybersecurity scenarios. Thus, they are forced to think independently and apply their knowledge to create cyber-attacks and defend approaches to solve problems provided to them in each lab. Our experimental study shows that learners tend to gain more enhanced learning outcomes by leveraging PBL with knowledge graph guidance, become more aware of cybersecurity and relevant concepts, and also express interest in keep learning of cybersecurity using our system.

Promoting Exercise and Healthy Diet Among Primary Care Patients: Feasibility, Preliminary Outcomes, and Lessons Learned From a Pilot Trial With High Intensity Interval Exercise.

Physical activity and healthy diet are recognized as effective approaches for disease prevention. Controlled laboratory clinical trials support these approaches, yet minimal data exists supporting implementation of exercise as medicine within a healthcare setting.Objectives: To understand perception and barriers to exercise and nutrition from patients and physicians from a family medicine clinic (FMC) to inform the implementation of a laboratory-based exercise and nutrition lifestyle intervention (Phase I), and to determine the feasibility, adherence, and preliminary outcomes of implementing this lifestyle intervention into a FMC (Phase II).Methods: In phase I 10 patients and 5 physicians were interviewed regarding perceptions of exercise and nutrition practices. In phase II patients at risk for cardiovascular disease were enrolled into a lifestyle intervention (n = 16), within a FMC, manipulating diet and exercise. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body composition, and metabolic blood markers were completed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention, and at 24 weeks. Feasibility was defined by patients who completed the intervention and number of sessions vs. total available.Results: Prescribing high-intensity interval training and a meal replacement for 12 weeks in patients with at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, was shown to have moderate feasibility with 62.5% (n = 10) for patients completing the 12 week intervention, and poor feasibility for assessing effects 12 weeks after cessation of the intervention, with 50% (n = 5) participants returning. Tracking exercise electronically via FitBit had moderate fidelity (n = 9), with hardcopy logs yielding poor compliance (n = 6). This pilot study demonstrated preliminary effectiveness of this home-based approach for improving cardiorespiratory fitness with an average 4.31 ± 5.67 ml·kg·min−1 increase in peak oxygen consumption. Blood triglycerides and insulin were improved in 70% and 60% of the patients, respectively.Conclusions: Despite moderate feasibility, a home-based exercise and nutrition has the potential to be used as an effective approach for managing and mitigating cardiovascular disease risk factors. There were key lessons learned which will help to develop and adapt a larger scale lifestyle intervention into a clinical setting.Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02482922, identifier NCT02482922.

Effects of a Tailored Physical Activity Intervention on Cardiovascular Structure and Function in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a loss of descending motor and sympathetic control below the level of injury (LOI), which ultimately results in chronically altered cardiovascular function and remodeling. While supervised, laboratory-based exercise training can generate cardiovascular adaptations in people with SCI, it is unknown whether behavioral community-based interventions effectively generate such adaptations for individuals with SCI. Objective Examine the effects of a tailored behavioral physical activity (PA) intervention on cardiac and vascular structure and function in individuals with SCI. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 32 participants with SCI (18-65 years, SCI >1 year) were assigned to PA (8-week behavioral intervention) or control (CON) groups. At baseline and postintervention, measures of resting left ventricular (LV) structure and function, carotid intima-media thickness and pulse-wave velocity were assessed with ultrasound and tonometry. Results Twenty-eight participants completed the study (n = 14/group). Across the full study cohort there were no significant changes in indices of LV or vascular structure and function, despite notable improvements in peak power and oxygen uptake in the PA group. However, in a subanalysis for LOI, individuals in the PA group with LOIs below T6 had evidence of altered LV geometry (ie, increased LV internal diameter, reduced sphericity index and relative wall thickness; group × time P < 0.05 for all), which was not seen in individuals with higher LOIs at or above T6. Conclusion An 8-week behavioral PA intervention appears to promote adaptations in cardiac geometry more readily in individuals with lower level SCI than those with higher-level SCI.

Anticipation of and response to exercise in adolescents with CFS: An experimental study

BackgroundUsing a laboratory-based exercise task, this study investigated objective exercise performance as well as expectations, anxiety and perceived task performance ratings in adolescents with CFS compared to healthy controls and illness controls. MethodTrials of a sit-stand exercise task (SST) were undertaken (CFS: n = 61, asthma (AS): n = 31, healthy adolescents (HC): n = 78). Adolescents rated their expectations, pre- and post-task anxiety, and perceived task difficulty. Their parents independently rated their performance expectations of their child. ResultsThe CFS group took significantly longer to complete the SST than the AS group (MD 3.71, 95% CI [2.41, 5.01] p < .001) and HC (MD 3.61, 95% CI [2.41, 4.81], p < .001). Adolescents with CFS had lower expectations for their performance on the exercise task than AS participants (MD -11.79, 95% CI [−22.17, −1.42] p = .022) and HC (MD -15.08, 95% CI [−23.01, −7.14] p < .001). They rated their perceived exertion as significantly greater than AS (MD 3.04, 95% CI [1.86, 4.21] p < .001) and HC (MD 2.98, 95% CI [1.99, 3.98], p < .001). The CFS group reported greater anxiety pre-task than AS (MD 14.11, 95% CI [5.57, 22.65] p < .001) and HC (MD 11.19, 95% CI [2.64, 19.75], p. = 007). Parental group differences showed similar patterns to the adolescents’'. ConclusionsLower expectations and greater anxiety regarding exercise may reflect learning from previous difficult experiences which could impact future exercise performance. Further examination of pre-exercise expectations and post-exercise appraisals could improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which fatigue is maintained.

AB105. SOH21AS259. An audit of routine pre-participation medical evaluation in athletes attending for laboratory-based exercise testing and a profile of endurance athletes in Ireland

Background: The pre-participation medical evaluation (PPE) of athletes prior to undergoing graded exercise testing is routine practice in the Trinity College Dublin human performance laboratory. The aim of this study was to compare data collected in 2017/18 with that of 2012/13, since the introduction of an updated PPE process and to build a profile of endurance athletes.

RELATIONSHIP OF CARDIOPULMONARY EXERCISE TESTING AND FIELD WALKING TESTS IN MILD-MODERATE ALZHEIMER’S DEMENTIA

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among peak exercise parameters on 6-minute walk (6MWT) and shuttle walk tests (SWT), and laboratory-based cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). These relationships have been established in cardiopulmonary patient populations, but not in community-dwelling older adults with mild-moderate Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). This study is a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data of 6MWT, SWT, and CPET from the FIT-AD Trial (n=88: 49 males [76.6 {7.0} years and MMSE 21.5{3.5}] and 39 females [77.3 {6.5} years and MMSE 22.1 {3.4}]). Peak values for each test included heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Peak oxygen assumption (VO2) was measured in the CPET. Peak walking distance (PWD) was measured for the 6MWT and SWT. CPET produced significantly higher peak HR (118.7 [17.5] vs. 106 [22.8] vs. 106 [18.8] bpm), RPE (16 [2.1] vs. 12 [2.3] vs. 11 [2.1]) and SBP (182 [23.7] vs. 156 [18.9] vs. 150 [16.9] mmHg) compared to the SWT and 6MWT respectively. PWD on SWT (240.4 [128.1] m) and 6MWT (364.3 [108.5] m) significantly correlated with peak VO2 (17.0 [4.3]ml/kg/min) on CPET (r=.44 and r=.43) respectively. Correlations of peak VO2 and PWD on SWT in persons with AD are considerably lower than what is seen for persons with cardiopulmonary diseases. This lower correlation seen in our sample may be due to shorter PWD on walking tests. Future research should focus how mobility affects correlation of peak values on these tests.

Epifluidic Colorimetric Patch for On-Skin Analysis of Regional Sweat Chloride Concentration during Laboratory-based Exercise

Epifluidic Colorimetric Patch for On-Skin Analysis of Regional Sweat Chloride Concentration during Laboratory-based Exercise

The Absolute and Relative Reliability of Psychophysiological Responses to Self-Selected Exercise Intensity in Elderly Women

ABSTRACTBackground: Self-selected exercise intensity (SSEI) promotes higher affect (pleasure) during exercise, but its reliability is still unclear. Purpose: to evaluate the test-retest reliability and the minimum detectable change of the perceptive and physiological responses in two sessions of SSEI on treadmill in elderly women. Method: Twenty elderly women (ages 65.3 ± 4.2 years) performed two 20-min laboratory-based treadmill aerobic exercise sessions with self-selected intensity. During the sessions, %VO2max, %HRreserve, affect, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Reliability was calculated using the intraclass correction coefficient (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots. The minimum detectable change (MDC) was also calculated. Results: ICC values were 0.98 for % VO2max, 0.83 for % HRreserve, 0.85 for affect, and 0.80 for RPE. No differences were observed in mean values between sessions for all the variables. MDCs were lower than 0.7% for VO2max, 11.7% for HRreserve, 0.7 for affect, and 0.8 for RPE. Bland–Altman plots showed a bias of 0.50% for HRreserve, 3.2% for VO2max, 0.05 for affect, and −0.35 for RPE. Conclusion: Self-selected intensity during aerobic exercise performed on treadmill is reliable, which promotes adequate and lower MDC values on physiological and perceptual responses in elderly women.

Exercising in Air Pollution: The Cleanest versus Dirtiest Cities Challenge.

Background: Aerobic exercise is recommended to improve health. However, the increased ventilation might increase the doses of inhaled air pollutants, negating the health benefits in highly polluted areas. Our objective was to estimate the inhaled dose of air pollutants during two simulated exercise sessions at cleanest and dirtiest cities reported by World Health Organization (WHO) considering air quality. Methods: Minute ventilation data were extracted from laboratory-based exercise of 116 incremental running tests and used to calculate total ventilation of a hypothetical 30-min moderate continuous exercise routine. Afterwards, total ventilation values were combined with particulate matter (PM) data reported by the WHO for the 10 cleanest and 10 dirtiest cities, to calculate inhaled doses and the relative risk of all-cause mortality by exercising in different air pollution concentrations. Findings: The dirtiest cities are located at less developed countries compared to cleanest cities. The inhaled dose of PM2.5 and PM10 were significantly higher in the dirtiest cities compared to the cleanest cities at rest and exercise, and significantly higher during exercise compared to the rest at dirtiest cities. The relative risk of all-cause mortality analysis showed that, while exercise in the cleanest cities improved health benefits throughout up to 90 min, there were no further health benefits after 15 min of exercise in the dirtiest cities, and the air pollution health risks surpassed the exercise benefits after 75 min. Interpretation: Our findings suggest that a traditional 30-min of moderate aerobic exercise session might induce inhalation of high levels of pollutants when performed at dirtiest cities. Considering several adverse health effects from air pollutants inhalation, so the results suggest that the air pollution levels of the cities should be taken into account for physical exercise recommendations.

Trapped Sweat in Various Sports Uniforms During Sport-Specific, Laboratory-Based Exercise

Trapped Sweat in Various Sports Uniforms During Sport-Specific, Laboratory-Based Exercise

The Impact of Blood Pressure Dipping Status on Cognition, Mobility, and Cardiovascular Health in Older Adults Following an Exercise Program.

Objectives: To determine whether a dual-task gait and aerobic exercise intervention differentially impacted older adults with normal blood pressure (BP) dipping status (dippers) compared to those with nondipping status (nondippers). Methods: This study was a secondary analysis involving participants (mean age = 70.3 years, 61% women) who attended a laboratory-based exercise intervention over a 6-month period (40 min/day and 3 days/week). Participants were assessed in measures of cognition, mobility, and cardiovascular health at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months (after a 6-month no-contact follow-up). Results: We observed improvements in cognition in both groups at 6 and 12 months, although no between-group differences were seen. Nondippers demonstrated superior improvements in usual gait velocity and step length after the exercise intervention compared to dippers. Dippers reduced daytime systolic BP at 6 and 12 months to a greater extent than nondippers. Discussion: BP dipping status at baseline did not influence exercise benefits to cognition but did mediate changes in mobility and cardiovascular health.

DOES A 6-MONTH DUAL-TASK GAIT AND AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION DIFFERENTIALLY IMPACT OLDER ADULTS WITH NORMAL VERSUS NON-NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE DIPPING STATUS?

We investigated the effects of a 6-month combined dual-task (DT) gait and aerobic exercise (AE) intervention among older adults without dementia presenting normal blood pressure (BP) dipping status (i.e., >10% drop in systolic BP from daytime to nighttime) and those with non-dipping status (i.e., <10% drop in systolic BP from daytime to nighttime) on measures of cognition, mobility, and cardiovascular health. A secondary analysis was performed in a sample of 79 [70.3 (6.6) yr, Montreal Cognitive Assessment: 25 (2.4), 61% females,] participants who attended to a laboratory-based exercise intervention 40 min/day, 3 days/weeks for 6 months. Assessments occurred at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months (i.e., after a 6-month no-contact follow-up). Cognition measures [standardized global cognitive function (GCF), executive function (EF), processing speed, memory, verbal fluency], mobility (usual and DT gait characteristics) and cardiovascular health (carotid intima-media thickness and arterial compliance) were analyzed using linear mixed effects models controlling for age, education, gender, presence of hypertension and diabetes. At baseline, 35 participants met the criteria for normal dipping status (dippers), whereas 44 met the criteria for non-dipping status (nondippers). Both groups improved in GCF, memory and verbal fluency at all time points; at 6 and 12 months, both groups improved in EF and processing speed. No differences between groups in cognition were observed at any follow-up time points. For mobility measures, nondippers showed improvements in usual gait velocity and step length at all time points, which led to differences between groups at 6 months, favouring nondippers. In contrast, dippers reduced DT gait variability to a greater extent at all time points, with differences between groups occurring at 12-months. Additionally, dippers and nondippers increased DT gait velocity at 6-months, however, only nondippers increased DT step length over the same period, with no differences between groups. Regardless of BP dipping status, a 6-month combined DT gait and AE intervention in older adults without dementia improved cognition with no change in cardiovascular health, while those presenting non-dipping status yielded superior improvements in mobility.

Physical Activity for Cognitive and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms.

Physical activity can improve cognitive and mental health, but the underlying mechanisms have not been established. To present a conceptual model explaining the mechanisms for the effect of physical activity on cognitive and mental health in young people and to conduct a systematic review of the evidence. Six electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Ovid Medline, SportDiscus, and Embase) were used. School-, home-, or community-based physical activity intervention or laboratory-based exercise interventions were assessed. Studies were eligible if they reported statistical analyses of changes in the following: (1) cognition or mental health; and (2) neurobiological, psychosocial, and behavioral mechanisms. Data relating to methods, assessment period, participant characteristics, intervention type, setting, and facilitator/delivery were extracted. Twenty-five articles reporting results from 22 studies were included. Mechanisms studied were neurobiological (6 studies), psychosocial (18 studies), and behavioral (2 studies). Significant changes in at least 1 potential neurobiological mechanism were reported in 5 studies, and significant effects for at least 1 cognitive outcome were also found in 5 studies. One of 2 studies reported a significant effect for self-regulation, but neither study reported a significant impact on mental health. Small number of studies and high levels of study heterogeneity. The strongest evidence was found for improvements in physical self-perceptions, which accompanied enhanced self-esteem in the majority of studies measuring these outcomes. Few studies examined neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms, and we were unable to draw conclusions regarding their role in enhancing cognitive and mental health.

Trapped Sweat In Basketball Uniforms During Laboratory-based Intermittent Exercise

Trapped Sweat In Basketball Uniforms During Laboratory-based Intermittent Exercise