An Acute Bout of Exercise Improves the Cognitive Performance of Older Adults

Abstract

1There is evidence that an acute bout of exercise confers cognitive benefits, but it is largely 2 unknown what the optimal mode and duration of exercise is and how cognitive performance 3 changes over time after exercise. We compared the cognitive performance of 31 older adults 4 using the Stroop test before, immediately after, and at 30 and 60 minutes after a 10 and 30 5 minute aerobic or resistance exercise session. Heart rate and feelings of arousal were also 6 measured before, during and after exercise. We found that independent of mode or duration of 7 exercise, the participants improved in the Stroop Inhibition task immediately post-exercise. We Interference tasks. Our findings suggest that an acute bout of exercise can improve cognitive 10 performance, and in particular the more complex executive functioning, of older adults.

Effects of acute aerobic and resistance exercise on executive function: An ERP study

“…Moreover, few studies examining the influence of both acute AE and RE on EF have suggested that exercise modalities might moderate the relationship between acute exercise and different aspects of EF. 10,12 Specifically, AE has similar effects as RE on inhibition in middleaged women, 10 young, 16 and older adults, 11 but larger effects than RE on working memory in young adults. 12 Nonetheless, the limited data regarding the effects of AE vs. RE on shifting performance demonstrates a need for further research.…”

“…This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/4.0/). examined the effects of acute RE on EF, and elucidated the beneficial effects on inhibition, 5,10,11 and updating. 12,13 Considering the variability of physiological responses induced by acute AE and RE, 14,15 these two modalities might bear different forms of influence on EF.…”

The Acute Effect of Exercise on Executive Function and Attention: Resistance Versus Aerobic Exercise

“…In a meta-analysis on the effects of acute exercise on cognitive functions, Chang, Ku, Tomporowski, Chen, and Huang (2012) name a number of variables that may moderate these effects, including: mode of exercise (e.g., aerobic or resistance exercise), duration and intensity of the exercise, time of testing (during or after the exercise bout), participants' age and baseline health, fitness and cognitive functioning, and the complexity and type of the tested task. Thus, it is not surprising that many inconsistencies may be found in the literature (Chang, Labban, Gapin, & Etnier, 2012;Johnson et al, 2016).…”

“…Johnson et al (2016) compared the cognitive performance of older adults aged 71-72 years using the Stroop test before and after an acute aerobic or resistance exercise session. They also give a review of the findings concerning the effects of acute aerobic and strength exercise, and discuss the difficulties in comparing their effects on cognitive performance.…”

“…They also give a review of the findings concerning the effects of acute aerobic and strength exercise, and discuss the difficulties in comparing their effects on cognitive performance. They also point out the various factors which may influence the results of such investigations(Johnson et al, 2016).…”