The effect of regular Taekwondo exercise on Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and Stroop test in undergraduate student

Abstract

Young-Il Kim. The effect of Taekwondo Exercise on Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and Stroop test in undergraduate students. JENB., Vol. 19, No. 2, pp.73-79, 2015 [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Taekwondo exercise on Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the Stroop test in undergraduate students.[Methods] Fourteen male subjects participated in this study. They were separated into a Control group (N = 7) and an Exercise group (N = 7). Subjects participated in Taekwondo exercise training for 8 weeks. They underwent to Taekwondo exercise training for 85 minutes per day, 5 times a week at RPE of 11~15. The taekwondo exercise training comprised an aerobic exercise (20min) mode and a dynamic exercise (65min) mode. All data were analyzed by repeated measures two-way ANOVA.[Results] There were no significant differences in the physical characteristics of the subjects. Although weight and BMI showed a tendency to decreased in the exercise group (EG). Also, neurotrophic factors (BDNF, NGF, IGF-1) were not significantly different after 8 weeks in the two groups. However, BDNF and IGF-1 showed a tendency to increase in the exercise group (EG). Finally, the Stroop test (word, color) results were significantly different(p < .05) in the exercise group (EG).[Conclusion] These finding suggest that 8 weeks of regular Taekwondo exercise training may increase cognitive functions (Stroop test). However the training did not statistically affect neurotrophic factors (BDNF, NGF, IGF-1) in undergraduate students.

Effects of taekwondo intervention on cognitive function and academic self-efficacy in children

“…The result showed that the TKD group achieved significantly higher Color-Word scores after the 16-week TKD training, suggesting that TKD training may be effective in improving cognitive function. This supports the findings of preceding research that reported significant increase in Stroop Color and Word Test scores following regular TKD training 12 ) . The Stroop Color and Word Test reflects cognitive function 9 ) .…”

Physical Fitness and Cardiovascular Endurance Status of Iranian Elite Female Taekwondo Athletes

“…For example, in the study conducted by Nikolaidis et al (8), the body fat percentage of female taekwondo athletes aged between 18 and 33 years, was reported 19%, or in another study done by Heller et al (12) on the athletes with black belts, it was reported 15%. Body fat percentage of female taekwondo athletes in the national team was reported 11.2% in Turkey ( 19) and 15.4% in Kazakhstan (20). Our findings were even higher than what was reported as the mean body fat percentage of the national taekwondo team athletes of Iran in 2006 (equal to 7%), despite the same measurement method (i.e., BIA) being applied to determine body fat percentage (9).…”