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THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE PARTICIPATION ON COGNITION IN ADULTS

M.L. Hastie

Abstract

THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE PARTICIPATION ON COGNITION IN ADULTS

M.L. Hastie

George Fox University, Newberg, OR

Current research has shown varied results with regards to the cognitive benefits of exercise and even fewer studies have been conducted with adults (ages 18-60). Most existing studies lack specific information on the exercise prescription needed to elicit improvements in cognition. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between different dimensions of physical fitness and cognition. METHODS: Thirty-seven adults (28.0 + 8.2 years of age) were divided amongst three exercise treatment groups: cardiovascular, strength, and mixed method (circuit training) and a control group for the duration of an eight-week study. Comprehensive fitness evaluations and cognitive assessments were performed at the beginning and end of the eight weeks. The cognitive assessment included: 1) response speed and impulse control; 2) divided visual attention; 3) mathematical word equations; 4) memory span; and 5) grammatical reasoning. RESULTS: The results of this study indicated that cardiorespiratory exercise training and mixed method circuit training were highly influential on some aspects of cognition (memory span and problem solving ability) as evidenced by statistically significant (p < 0.1) changes in cognitive measures after eight-weeks. Specifically, the cardiovascular group increased their memory span by almost 56% and the number of problems they could solve by 25%. The mixed method group improved by 52% and 36%, respectively. Cardiovascular training also offered an additional benefit in the area of divided visual attention response time (24% reduction in response time). Both the cardiovascular training and mixed method training groups showed common statistically significant improvements in body composition and muscular endurance, while only the mixed method training group experienced statistically significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength. An unexpected, yet interesting, result to note was that the control group was the only group to see a statistically significant increase in systolic blood pressure and a statistically significant increase in body weight and average hip circumference over the eight-weeks of the study. This was the only group to experience a significant decline in cognitive response speed to visual stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study offer a rich future of research possibilities indicating that exercise may not only offer an opportunity to improve physical fitness, manage body weight, and reduce the risk of chronic disease, but may also offer an opportunity to improve cognitive performance as well.

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