Improved Working Memory Following Novel Combinations of Physical and Cognitive Activity
- 9 December 2011
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
- Vol. 26 (5), 523-532
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1545968311425919
Abstract
Background. In humans, retrospective studies suggest that habitual physical activity (PA) or cognitive activity (CA) can help maintain or improve cognitive function. Similar findings have been reported using physical exercise in animal studies; however, the exercise paradigms differ markedly in duration and frequency, making extrapolation difficult. Here, the authors present a novel PA and CA paradigm that combines voluntary wheel running with Hebb-Williams and radial arm maze (RAM) training. Methods. A total of 57 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 treatment groups: the PA, CA, and combined PA and CA groups and sedentary controls. PA (voluntary wheel running) and CA (Hebb-Williams mazes) consisted of a moderate 2 h/d, 5 d/wk treatment paradigm. Results. Animals exposed to a combination of PA and CA made significantly fewer working memory errors and exhibited superior choice accuracy when compared with animals exposed to either PA or CA alone in the 8-arm baited configuration of the RAM. Additional analyses revealed that the cognitive improvements were independent of exercise intensity/duration. Assessment of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels revealed a significant increase in hippocampal BDNF only in the PA-alone group. Conclusion. A novel combination of PA and CA improves learning and memory abilities independent of activity intensity, BDNF, or phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element binding protein levels. This is the first report of significant changes in cognitive ability using a paradigm involving moderate levels of PA plus cognitive stimulation. An adaptation of this paradigm may be particularly beneficial in slowing the development of mild cognitive impairment and subsequent dementia in elderly people.Keywords
This publication has 48 references indexed in Scilit:
- Contribution of Physical Fitness, Cerebrovascular Reserve and Cognitive Stimulation to Cognitive Function in Post-Menopausal WomenFrontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2010
- Cognitive activities delay onset of memory decline in persons who develop dementiaNeurology, 2009
- Exercise and the brain: something to chew onTrends in Neurosciences, 2009
- Metabolic Syndrome Clusters and the Risk of Incident StrokeStroke, 2009
- Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor functions as a metabotrophin to mediate the effects of exercise on cognitionEuropean Journal of Neuroscience, 2008
- Exercising your brain: A review of human brain plasticity and training-induced learning.Psychology and Aging, 2008
- A computational theory of hippocampal function, and empirical tests of the theoryProgress in Neurobiology, 2006
- Social isolation delays the positive effects of running on adult neurogenesisNature Neuroscience, 2006
- Exercise Enhances Learning and Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Aged MiceJournal of Neuroscience, 2005
- Hippocampal brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene regulation by exercise and the medial septumJournal of Neuroscience Research, 2002