Short-term exercise equals big-time brain boost: study
Even a short, one-time burst of
exercise can boost parts of the brain responsible for executive functions such
as decision-making and focus, a study suggests.
While other studies have shown brain-health
benefits after 20-minutes of a single bout of exercise, this study, published
in the journal Neuropsychologia, suggests even 10 minutes of aerobic activity
can prime the parts of the brain that help us focus.
"Some people cannot commit to a
long-term exercise regime because of time or physical capacity," said
Matthew Heath, from the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
"This shows that people can
cycle or walk briskly for a short duration, even once, and find immediate
benefits," Heath said.
During the study, participants
either sat and read a magazine or did 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous
exercise on a stationary bicycle.
Following the reading and exercise
session, the researchers used eye-tracking equipment to examine participants'
reaction times to a cognitively demanding eye movement task.
The task was designed to challenge
areas of the brain responsible for executive functions such as decision-making
and inhibition.
"Those who had exercised showed
immediate improvement. Their responses were more accurate and their reaction
times were up to 50 milliseconds shorter than their pre-exercise values. That
may seem minuscule but it represented a 14 percent gain in cognitive
performance in some instances," said Heath.
23.12.2017
Never forget how we, so small,
are blessed to be part of a universe so great
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