New research: Exercise improves the memory of young adults

Exercise has been scientifically proven to have multiple health benefits. Even a single exercise session can have positive effects on cognitive function and memory.

In a 2020 review, published in the journal Translational Sports Medicine, 13 studies show that exercise has the potential to improve memory performance in young adults.

The research approached people between the ages of 18 and 35 and the types of exercises studied were walking, running and cycling. Well-known neuropsychological memory tests, such as the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test A and B, and the Stroop Color Word Test, were used to perform analytical results. With these specialized tools, the researchers tested verbal memory, short-term memory, learning levels and visual perception.

More specifically, participants were selected by simple random sampling, either to perform an exercise or for rest, or for a combination of exercise and rest. The three types of exercise they were required to perform were walking, running or cycling, with intensity ranging from light to moderate to intense and lasting from 2 to 60 minutes. Seven studies used walking or running and six studies used cycling as physical activity to demonstrate improved learning functions.

The type of exercise, the intensity and the time were considered particularly important factors for the conclusions of the research. High to moderate intensity physical activity was found improve memory function im in terms of learning, programming, problem solving, concentration, long-term memory functions, functional memory, and speech. In particular, the researchers found that young adults, when trained with aerobic exercise, from 2 minutes to 60 minutes, following a moderate to high intensity, develop better attention, greater concentration and assimilation of new information for about 2 hours. They also confirmed that these conclusions could have significant implications for education.

According to systematic review researcher Peter Blomstrand, a professor in the Department of Clinical Physiology and Biomedicine at Jönköping University in Sweden, exercise increases mental capacity. The review points out that before the learning process, young adults who engage in aerobic exercise will be able to memorize new information much faster.

The question, however, is: how much time and with what intensity should you exercise before the cognitive process? The studies of the present review, argue that the training time should be from a few minutes to 60 minutes and the intensity of the exercise should be moderate to high. In addition, there should be a short break of 5 minutes for rest.

In recent years, many scientific studies have led to the conclusion that regular exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus in the brain, a brain structure that is directly related to memory.

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Sources

Exercise improves learning and memory in young adults

Effects of a single exercise workout on memory and learning functions in young adults—A systematic review