Physical activity for cognitive health promotion: An overview of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms

Chen, Chong; Nakagawa, Shin

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2023.101868

Cited by 45 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 262 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The application of a 5-day EMA in 157 young adults with more than 7,300 prompts confirmed the assumed associations between physical activity, positive affect, and creative ideation performance, thus supporting previous research on physical activity promoting brain health (Chen & Nakagawa, 2023;Donofry et al, 2021;Erickson et al, 2019;Voelcker-Rehage & Niemann, 2013). Of note, effects were found for the chronic as well as the acute level of physical activity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…But are these observed enhancing cognitive effects of physical activity and positive affect ready for use? Practically, and due to the high number of benevolent effects associated with physical activity (e.g., Chen & Nakagawa, 2023; Miles, 2007; Peluso & Guerra de Andrade, 2005), we would suggest yes! Walking behavior can easily be upscaled and taking 100 steps within 5 min before a creative task can noticeably increase the performance outcome.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biological mechanisms such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, changes in blood flow, as well as structural and functional brain changes are potential explanations (Yu et al, 2021) for an association between physical activity and creativity (see Chen & Nakagawa, 2023, for cognition). However, the empirical evidence is scarce (see, e.g., Fink et al, 2021, in the context of depression; Stillman et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Step-by-step to more creativity: The number of steps in everyday life is related to creative ideation performance.

Rominger,

Fink,

Weber

et al. 2023

American Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research indicated an association of acute and chronic physical activity with creative ideation performance. However, no study to date applied ecologically valid ambulatory methods with the potential to generalize these positive relationships to everyday life contexts. This study assessed acute and chronic physical activity (i.e., number of steps assessed via acceleration sensors) as well as creative ideation performance (in the verbal and figural domain) with an ecological momentary assessment approach in a sample of 157 young adults. We found that both single bouts of walking and walking regularly were associated with more original verbal ideas. Positive affect did not mediate this association; however, for figural creativity, the indirect path of acute physical activity via acute positive affect was significant. Although the relationship between walking and creativity seems to be domain-specific, the study findings suggest that the positive effects of physical activity on creativity transfer to everyday life contexts.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Step-by-step to more creativity: The number of steps in everyday life is related to creative ideation performance.

Rominger,

Fink,

Weber

et al. 2023

American Psychologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The possible background of the neurobiological mechanisms is presented in a review by Chen and Nakagawa [ 24 ]. The adaptations to exercise positively affecting brain plasticity may result from the enhanced exertional concentration of BDNF, insulin-like growth factor-1 and vascular-endothelial-derived growth factor, which stimulate angiogenesis and the growth and development of neurons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychomotor Performance after 30 h of Sleep Deprivation Combined with Exercise

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sleep deprivation (SD) usually impairs psychomotor performance, but most experiments are usually focused on sedentary conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of 30 h of complete SD combined with prolonged, moderate exercise (SDE) on human psychomotor performance. Eleven endurance-trained men accustomed to overnight exertion were tested twice: in well-slept and non-fatigued conditions (Control) and immediately after 30 h of SDE. They performed a multiple-choice reaction time test (MCRT) at rest and during each workload of the graded exercise test to volitional exhaustion. At rest, the MCRT was shorter after SDE than in the Control (300 ± 13 ms vs. 339 ± 11 ms, respectively, p < 0.05). During graded exercise, there were no significant differences in MCRT between groups, but the fastest reaction was observed at lower workloads after SDE (158 ± 7 W vs. 187 ± 11 W in Control, p < 0.05). The total number of missed reactions tended to be higher after SDE (8.4 ± 0.7 vs. 6.3 ± 0.8 in Control, p = 0.06). In conclusion, SDE is different from SD alone; however, well-trained men, accustomed to overnight exertion can maintain psychomotor abilities independently of the extent of central fatigue. Exercise can be used to enhance psychomotor performance in sleep-deprived subjects in whom special caution is required in order to avoid overload.

show abstract

“…When taken together, the secretion of these factors hints at a positive muscle–brain crosstalk and role for physical activity in the maintenance and preservation of cognitive capacity into advanced age, so much so that exercise mimetics are posited as a potential therapeutic intervention, especially in the context of central nervous system diseases 80 . The molecular bases for muscle–brain crosstalk are beyond the scope of this discussion and have been reviewed extensively in recent excellent reviews looking to synthesize how these molecules act in concert to modulate positive cognitive outcomes 81–83 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strength and multiple types of physical activity predict cognitive function independent of low muscle mass in NHANES 1999–2002

Storoschuk,

Gharios,

Potter

et al. 2023

Lifestyle Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionMultiple domains of cognitive function decline with age, resulting in a significant burden on quality of life and the healthcare system. Recent studies increasingly point to links between muscle mass, particularly low muscle mass, and risk of cognitive decline. However, complex relationships exist between muscle mass, muscle function, physical activity, and overall health.MethodsData from 1,424 adults 60+ years old in the 1999‐2000 and 2001‐2002 editions of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to investigate the relationship between low muscle mass and cognitive function after accounting for strength, physical activity, and nutritional and metabolic risk factors for cognitive decline.ResultsMuscle strength and physical activity independently predicted performance in the digit symbol substitution test, with muscle mass and muscle strength explaining 0.5% and 5% of the variance in cognitive function, respectively. In graphical network analyses, the association between low muscle mass and cognitive function appeared to be primarily mediated by neuromuscular function. Physical activity was associated with strength but, surprisingly, not muscle mass, which was instead more closely related to total mass.ConclusionsLow muscle mass is a relatively poor predictor of cognitive function after accounting for physical activity and strength in older individuals from a representative population dataset in the US. Future studies should account for the way in which muscle mass is accrued, which is likely to confound any association between muscle mass and health outcomes.

show abstract

Physical activity for cognitive health promotion: An overview of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms

Cited by 45 publications

References 262 publications

Step-by-step to more creativity: The number of steps in everyday life is related to creative ideation performance.

Step-by-step to more creativity: The number of steps in everyday life is related to creative ideation performance.

Psychomotor Performance after 30 h of Sleep Deprivation Combined with Exercise

Strength and multiple types of physical activity predict cognitive function independent of low muscle mass in NHANES 1999–2002

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About