Journal article
The effects of a school-based exercise program on neurophysiological indices of working memory operations in adolescents.
- Ludyga S University of Basel, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Switzerland. Electronic address: sebastian.ludyga@unibas.ch.
- Gerber M University of Basel, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Switzerland.
- Kamijo K Waseda University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Japan.
- Brand S University of Basel, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Switzerland; University of Basel, Psychiatric Clinics, Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Switzerland; Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center and Sleep Disorders Research Center, Iran.
- Pühse U University of Basel, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Switzerland.
- 2018-01-24
Published in:
- Journal of science and medicine in sport. - 2018
Aerobic exercise
Contingent negative variation
Coordinative exercise
Event-related potentials
Proactive control
Sternberg task
Adolescent
Cognition
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials
Exercise
Humans
Memory, Short-Term
Neuropsychological Tests
Physical Education and Training
Reaction Time
Schools
English
OBJECTIVES
To examine the effects of a structured exercise program implemented during school break-time on working memory maintenance and neurophysiological indices of task preparation processes in adolescents.
DESIGN
Using class-wise random allocation, participants from four classes were divided into an exercise (n=20) and a wait-list control group (n=16). Over a period of eight weeks, the exercise group engaged in 20min of combined aerobic and coordinative exercise on each school day.
METHODS
Prior to and after the intervention period, participants performed a computer-based Sternberg task for the assessment of working memory performance. Simultaneously, the contingent negative variation (CNV) of event-related potentials was measured.
RESULTS
The exercise group demonstrated a larger decrease in reaction time from pre- to post-test relative to the control group, F(1, 31)=13.5, p<0.001. No changes were found for accuracy on the Sternberg task across groups. Using cluster-based permutation testing, the analysis of event-related potentials revealed a significant increase of the initial CNV from pre- to post-test in the exercise group, cluster value=-2376.2, p=0.006, which was most pronounced for the fronto-central region, with no such effect observed for the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
Daily engagement in a short combined aerobic and coordinative exercise program following the school lunch time break elicits benefits for working memory in adolescents. These changes are accompanied by improvements of task preparation processes, which allow the selection of a more appropriate cognitive control strategy.
To examine the effects of a structured exercise program implemented during school break-time on working memory maintenance and neurophysiological indices of task preparation processes in adolescents.
DESIGN
Using class-wise random allocation, participants from four classes were divided into an exercise (n=20) and a wait-list control group (n=16). Over a period of eight weeks, the exercise group engaged in 20min of combined aerobic and coordinative exercise on each school day.
METHODS
Prior to and after the intervention period, participants performed a computer-based Sternberg task for the assessment of working memory performance. Simultaneously, the contingent negative variation (CNV) of event-related potentials was measured.
RESULTS
The exercise group demonstrated a larger decrease in reaction time from pre- to post-test relative to the control group, F(1, 31)=13.5, p<0.001. No changes were found for accuracy on the Sternberg task across groups. Using cluster-based permutation testing, the analysis of event-related potentials revealed a significant increase of the initial CNV from pre- to post-test in the exercise group, cluster value=-2376.2, p=0.006, which was most pronounced for the fronto-central region, with no such effect observed for the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
Daily engagement in a short combined aerobic and coordinative exercise program following the school lunch time break elicits benefits for working memory in adolescents. These changes are accompanied by improvements of task preparation processes, which allow the selection of a more appropriate cognitive control strategy.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.01.001
- PMID 29358034
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/232242
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