Abstract
Physical activity improves cognitive function in a variety of populations. To determine the influence of short-duration high-intensity physical activity (SDHIPA) on cognitive agility (CA) in healthy men and women, 18 to 35 years of age, 62 subjects took the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) before and after SDHIPA (n=47) or a control period (n=15). The SCWT is a neuropsychological test used to assess the cognitive interference that occurs when processing different forms of information. SDHIPA involved varied functional movements performed using a mix of aerobic exercise, calisthenics, and Olympic weightlifting for 20 minutes following a 20-minute warmup. Data were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA for repeated measures using the SPSS statistical package. Statistical significance was accepted at p ≤ 0.05. The SDHIPA and control groups were similar with respect to age, height, weight, and BMI (p > 0.05). Post-exercise HR in the SDHIPA group was 85.4 ± 10.6 percent of age-predicted maximum, confirming exercise was high-intensity. Post-treatment CA (6.0 ± 0.4 s) was significantly less than pre-treatment (6.7 ± 0.5 s) for both groups combined (one-tailed p = 0.042). This change was not dependent on participation in SDHIPA (p = 0.925). In conclusion, there appears to be a learning effect for the SCWT that is independent of SDHIPA.
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Keywords
cognitive function, cognitive agility, acute exercise, high-intensity physical activity
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Exercise, Health, and Sport Sciences
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor
James Graves, PhD
Effect of short-duration high-intensity physical activity on cognitive agility in healthy young men and women - transcript
Open Access?
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Effect of short-duration high-intensity physical activity on cognitive agility in healthy young men and women
Physical activity improves cognitive function in a variety of populations. To determine the influence of short-duration high-intensity physical activity (SDHIPA) on cognitive agility (CA) in healthy men and women, 18 to 35 years of age, 62 subjects took the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) before and after SDHIPA (n=47) or a control period (n=15). The SCWT is a neuropsychological test used to assess the cognitive interference that occurs when processing different forms of information. SDHIPA involved varied functional movements performed using a mix of aerobic exercise, calisthenics, and Olympic weightlifting for 20 minutes following a 20-minute warmup. Data were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA for repeated measures using the SPSS statistical package. Statistical significance was accepted at p ≤ 0.05. The SDHIPA and control groups were similar with respect to age, height, weight, and BMI (p > 0.05). Post-exercise HR in the SDHIPA group was 85.4 ± 10.6 percent of age-predicted maximum, confirming exercise was high-intensity. Post-treatment CA (6.0 ± 0.4 s) was significantly less than pre-treatment (6.7 ± 0.5 s) for both groups combined (one-tailed p = 0.042). This change was not dependent on participation in SDHIPA (p = 0.925). In conclusion, there appears to be a learning effect for the SCWT that is independent of SDHIPA.
