Effects of exercises on memory

reference

Heisz J., Clark I., Bonin K. et al. The effects of physical exercise and cognitive training on memory and neurotrophic factors. j cogn neurosci . 2017; 29 (11): 1895-1907.

objective

Examination of the effects of movement training compared to combined movement and cognitive training to determine whether there are synergistic effects on memory in humans. Neurotrophe factors that support the survival and function of hippocampus cells were also measured to suspect possible mechanisms for observed memory changes.

draft

not randomized intervention study

participant

95 Healthy young adults aged 17 to 30 years (58 women, 37 men), who trained intensively at the beginning of the course of the study

Intervention

The participants completed 6 weeks either physical training, combined physical and cognitive training or no training (control). The movement training consisted of 20 minutes of high -intensity interval training about three times a week for 6 weeks (average number of training sessions for the training group: 17 ± 1 SD). The cognitive training consisted of 20 minutes of training with a computer -aided version of the concentration memory task about 3 times a week for 6 weeks.

study parameters evaluated

• peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) to prove that physical training improves aerobic fitness.
• Kirwan and Starks Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) for testing the memory function. The MST tests the memory of pictures of everyday objects, especially the high -interference memory and general recognition. A high interference memory was defined as a biased ability to correctly identify bait items as "similar", and general recognition was defined as a biased ability to correctly identify a repetition as "old".

Primary result measurements

• maximum oxygen consumption at the end of 6-week exercise intervention; Participants with VO 2 PEAK> 4.6 ml/kg/min were regarded as high-responder and those with VO 2 peaks <4.6 ml/kg/min were viewed as low-responders.
• Improvement in high interventers and general recognition memory tasks from the baseline to the end of the 6-week practice intervention
• Change of serum levels of BDNF and IGF-1 from the starting value to the end of the 6-week intervention

important knowledge

• Both the pure exercise group and the combined exercise and cognitive training group had a better high-interference memory than the control group ( p <0.05).
• The BDNF and IGF-1 serum mirror increased significantly compared to the starting value in people who showed a larger aero-adaptation to physical training (i.e. high-responder; p <0.05)).
• high-response on movement, which also received cognitive training, had a better high-interference memory than those in the only exercise group ( p = 0.037).

practice implications

physical activity is associated with improvements in cognitive function in both animal and human models. In humans, an active lifestyle and cardiovascular fitness are associated with a better cognitive function in old age. ^{1 Other cross -sectional studies have found that aerobic fitness predicts a better memory in the event of tasks with delayed free memory, 2 Relational memory, 3 Spatial learning. 4}

However, only a few studies have examined the combined effects of movement and cognitive training in humans, and these were limited to older adult population groups.

Perhaps the question of movement should be: "What kind, intensity and frequency is ideal to improve memory?"

animal models have found that movement promotes the proliferation of new neurons in the gyrus of the hippocampus gyrus, while cognitive training promotes survival and integration of these new neurons within the network. The hippocampus is mainly connected to the memory, in particular with the formation and calling of memories of complex events and episodes. ^{7 In contrast, the gyrus dentatus refers to the finer details of the memory; In particular, it plays an important role in the dissolution of interference between very similar contexts.}

This study examines the effects of movement training compared to combined movement and cognitive training to determine whether there are synergistic effects on young adults. This study also evaluated the influence of training on the aerobic fitness and the neurotrophic serum factors BDNF and IGF-1.

Studies have shown that associations between higher aerobic fitness and better memory performance can be reinforced by increasing the neurotrophic factors. IGF-1 and BDNF are both known to influence the neurogenesis and plasticity through similar signal paths. ^{8 The neurotrophic factor from the brain helps the brain to build up new connections, to repair faulty brain cells and to protect healthy brain cells. It has also been proven that it regulates the synaptic plasticity that is essential for a high interference memory. 9 In addition, IGF-1-a well-known strong stimulus for angiogenesis-is increased by movement and it is assumed that it acts as an upstream mediator to produce the production of BDNF in the hippo campus Increase. 7}

The authors found that the high-response on movement in the combined training group had a better high-interference memory performance than HIGH-Responder on exercise, which only received practice training. In addition, high responders also had higher BDNF and IGF-1 levels. Therefore, the authors suggest that an additional advantage of memory through cognitive training could require the availability of neurotrophic factors. However, this should be interpreted with caution. The study found that the serum levels of the neurotrophic factors BDNF and IGF-1 were not influenced by physical activity or combined interventions at group level. This is in contrast to data in previous animal models.

These results indicate that the potential for synergistic effects of the combination of movement and cognitive training of aerobic fitness profits and the availability of the production of neurotropher factors can depend.

Although this study emphasizes the importance of aerobic fitness adjustments, this is just one of the many different physiological adjustments that take place during training and could contribute to the effects on memory. Perhaps the question of movement should be: "What kind, intensity and frequency is ideal to improve memory? In particular, the ability to produce neurotrophic factors.