Observing brain function via functional near-infrared spectroscopy during cognitive program training (dual task) in young people.
Ratri Techayusukcharoen, Shuhei Iida, Chikara Aoki
PMID 31417220WHAT IT FOUND
In 20 healthy young men, cycling while doing cognitive tasks increased frontal brain oxygenation in some tasks and regions, but not all.
This is a short lab measure, not evidence of improved thinking or function.
Key findings
01During calculation and after training, oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex and left premotor cortex was greater in the dual-task group than in the single-task group.
02During numeric memory, oxygenated hemoglobin in the supplementary motor area was greater in the dual-task group than in the single-task group.
03Before cognitive training, oxygenated hemoglobin did not differ significantly between the dual-task and single-task groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 healthy right-handed Japanese male young adults were studied, so results may not apply to women, older adults or people with mild cognitive impairment. The outcome was short-term oxygenated hemoglobin change measured by fNIRS, not a cognitive or clinical outcome. The study was brief and did not test long-term effects; the authors note it may not show long-term brain function stimulation. All four cognitive tasks were used together, so the effect of one or two tasks alone was not tested. The dual-task group received cognitive tasks and cycling together, so the study cannot attribute the oxygenation changes to cycling alone or to any single cognitive task. The discussion speculates about BDNF, but BDNF was not measured. Many task and brain-region comparisons were made, and only some were significant.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that dual-task Cognibike cycling improves cognition or clinical function. It measured short-term oxygenated hemoglobin changes in healthy young men, and significant differences appeared only in some tasks and brain regions.