Effect of moderate exercise intensities on the cortical activity in young adults.
Naoyuki Hashimoto, Masami Yokogawa, Haruyuki Kojima and 2 others
PMID 30349160WHAT IT FOUND
Fifteen minutes of cycling at 60% of peak oxygen uptake improved attention-task scores and frontal brain activity compared with rest or 40% exercise.
Temporal lobe activity did not change. The study tested healthy young adults.
Key findings
01Fifteen minutes of cycling at 60% of peak oxygen uptake produced higher PASAT correct responses than after rest or 40% exercise.
02Frontal lobe cerebral blood flow increased after 60% exercise compared with rest, while temporal lobe changes did not differ among conditions.
03The 40% exercise condition did not produce a significant change in PASAT scores from before to after exercise.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The 26 participants were healthy young adults, so the study does not show what happens in patients or older people. Each condition was a single 15-minute bout measured once, so it says nothing about repeated exercise or lasting effects. The outcomes were a laboratory attention task and near-infrared spectroscopy blood-flow changes, not everyday cognitive or functional outcomes. The authors did not measure participants' usual exercise habits, which can change the intensity that is moderate for them. The authors note that age-related differences were not considered, so the optimal intensity may differ in older people. The temporal lobe did not show a significant difference, and the authors note the repeated block design may have reduced responses there.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not tell patients to use the higher exercise intensity tested to improve cognition. The study tested only healthy young adults in a single laboratory session and measured an attention task and brain blood-flow changes, not patient outcomes.