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![| Higher levels of aerobic fitness (y-axis) predicted greater changes in the level of activation in right rostral PFC (BA10) as an effect of exercise (r = 0.30, p = 0.004, 95% CI [0.79, 3.97]; 9% variance explained). The red line depicts the regression line, with black lines as confidence intervals.](publication/360750209/figure/fig4/AS:1157988769374209@1653097445102/Higher-levels-of-aerobic-fitness-y-axis-predicted-greater-changes-in-the-level-of.png)
| Higher levels of aerobic fitness (y-axis) predicted greater changes in the level of activation in right rostral PFC (BA10) as an effect of exercise (r = 0.30, p = 0.004, 95% CI [0.79, 3.97]; 9% variance explained). The red line depicts the regression line, with black lines as confidence intervals.
Source publication
People with a depressed mood tend to perform poorly on executive function tasks, which require much of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an area of the brain which has also been shown to be hypo-active in this population. Recent research has suggested that these aspects of cognition might be improved through physical activity and cognitive training. How...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... the same procedures for VO 2 peak scores (M = 37.25, SD = 8.24) to investigate whether physical fitness predicted the PFC effects of exercise, since these data were also not normally distributed, W = 0.94, p < 0.001 (Skewness = −1.14, Kurtosis = 3.97), a one channel model, R 2 = 0.09, F (1,89) = 8.81, p = 0.004, 95% CI [0.79, 3.97], containing channel 10 (right rostral PFC; BA10) emerged as a significant predictor of a normalized distribution of VO 2 peak scores (Figure 4). So, there was a positive relationship between VO 2 peak and exerciseelicited changes in PFC activity in right rostral PFC (BA10), in that people with greater aerobic fitness showed greater levels of activation in this region after exercise. ...
Citations
... Furthermore, earlier research utilizing animal models has indicated that exercise reduces striatal dopamine turnover [46]. Previous studies have found that the prefrontal cortex is recognized for its involvement in executive function regulation [47]. This indicates that exercise influences both the physiological structure and functions of the human body, thereby enhancing overall health. ...
PURPOSE: Physical exercise offers profound pleiotropic health benefits, particularly for brain function. However, the impact of such exercises on the executive functions of heroin addicts and their negative thinking/affect remains underexplored. We investigated whether physical exercise improves executive function and negative thinking/affect in male heroin addicts.METHODS: We used a pre- and post-test experimental research design involving one control group and two experimental groups. Ninety male heroin addicts with no exercise restrictions were recruited. The participants were randomly divided into three groups (resistance exercise group (n=30), aerobic exercise group (n=30), and no-exercise control group (n=30)). Executive function was measured using the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention, 2-Back Working Memory, and Switch Cognitive Flexibility Tests. All experiments were conducted in a quiet room. The Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire was used to assess psychological status. All variables were measured and evaluated before and after the intervention.RESULTS: Participants exhibited a statistically significant decrease in response times following resistance exercise compared with preresistance exercise, as observed in both the flanker inhibitory control and attention tests, as well as the 2-back working memory test. Participants in the aerobic exercise group demonstrated significant reductions in reaction times on the 2-back working memory and switch cognitive flexibility tests, whereas performance accuracy significantly improved across all executive function tests. Additionally, the scores on the 10 subscales of the SCL-90-R showed a statistically significant decrease in the post-exercise period compared with the pre-exercise period.CONCLUSIONS: Physical exercise is a good non-pharmaceutical intervention for improving executive function and mental health in male heroin addicts.
... Secondly, the neurophysiological effects of physical exercise also contribute to its moderating influence. Extensive research indicates that chronic physical exercise is a promising strategy for enhancing critical executive functions such as inhibitory control and working memory (71), by augmenting the structure and function of the brain (72), particularly the prefrontal cortex, which plays a pivotal role in emotion regulation (73). Furthermore, acute exercise triggers activation in the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe, associated with episodic memory function, a crucial cognitive ability for maintaining overall wellbeing (74,75). ...
Background
College students in Western China face unique economic, cultural, and educational environments, yet limited studies have specifically investigated the factors or interventions concerning emotional distress within this population.
Aim
This study aimed to explore whether school belongingness mediates the relationship between expectations regarding school and emotional distress among college students in Western China, and whether physical exercise moderates this mediation.
Methods
Employing a cross-sectional design, 1,063 college students in Xinjiang, China were recruited for this study. A self-administered electronic questionnaire assessed expectations regarding school, school belongingness, physical exercise, anxiety, and depression. Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze mediating and moderating effects.
Results
Expectations regarding school was negatively associated with emotional distress. School exclusion and school acceptance fully mediated the effect of expectations regarding school on emotional distress. Physical exercise moderated the mediating effect of school exclusion, but not that of school acceptance.
Conclusion
Expectations regarding school and school belongingness, particularly the exclusion component, emerge as pivotal factors influencing emotional distress among college students in Western China. Furthermore, physical exercise presents itself as a promising targeted intervention for alleviating emotional distress within this demographic.
... Consistent with this hypothesis, acute exercise alters PFC function and this varies depending on the level of depressive symptoms [202]. One study showed that exercise indeed reduced aMCC activation and increased dlPFC activation during cognitive control, and improved performance on a flanker task, following a six-month intervention in older adults [203]. ...
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, exerting a profound negative impact on quality of life in those who experience it. Depression is associated with disruptions to several closely related neural and cognitive processes, including dopamine transmission, fronto-striatal brain activity and connectivity, reward processing and motivation. Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, reduces depressive symptoms, but the mechanisms driving its antidepressant effects are poorly understood. Here we propose a novel hypothesis for understanding the antidepressant effects of exercise, centred on motivation, across different levels of explanation. There is robust evidence that aerobic exercise decreases systemic inflammation. Inflammation is known to reduce dopamine transmission, which in turn is strongly implicated in effort-based decision making for reward. Drawing on a broad range of research in humans and animals, we propose that by reducing inflammation and boosting dopamine transmission, with consequent effects on effort-based decision making for reward, exercise initially specifically improves ‘interest-activity’ symptoms of depression—namely anhedonia, fatigue and subjective cognitive impairment - by increasing propensity to exert effort. Extending this framework to the topic of cognitive control, we explain how cognitive impairment in depression may also be conceptualised through an effort-based decision-making framework, which may help to explain the impact of exercise on cognitive impairment. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of exercise could inform the development of novel intervention strategies, in particular personalised interventions and boost social prescribing.
... Lex et al., 2015;Holmes and Wright, 2017;Yarrow et al., 2009Yarrow et al., 2009. Further, while deliberate practice might potentially play a role in the development of faster reaction times and improved task-specific performance (Ericsson, 2020;Ericsson et al., 1993), physical exercise, and the greater physical fitness associated with sport participation may also play a role in such associations, as demonstrated by previous work from this group in both adults (Crum et al., 2022(Crum et al., , 2024 and children (Watson et al., 2024). ...
Background
Cognitive impairment, colloquially termed “brain fog”, is one of the most prevalent manifestations of post-Covid syndrome and a major contributor to impaired daily function and reduced quality of life. However, despite the high numbers of affected individuals presenting to clinical services with cognitive impairment, little work has been undertaken to date on the suitability of current memory clinic tests for identifying the cognitive deficits in this new acquired cognitive disorder.
The aim of this study was therefore to determine the performance of people with post-Covid syndrome presenting with cognitive impairment on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), a cognitive test used widely in memory clinics. A subset of individuals also underwent testing on a novel battery of short digital tests assessing attention, speed of information processing and executive function, representing the domains primarily implicated in post-Covid cognitive dysfunction.
Methods
102 individuals with post-Covid syndrome presenting with subjective cognitive complaints were recruited from a specialist cognitive long Covid clinic at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust. All participants completed self-report questionnaires on depression, anxiety, sleep and fatigue. Cognitive performance was assessed using the ACE-III, with 20 participants also being tested on the digital Long COVID Assessment Battery (LCCAB) (N = 20).
Results
The overall sample had a mean ACE-III score of 91/100 (SD 6) with 15.7% (16/102) scoring at or below the cut-off score considered to represent objective cognitive impairment. Of the 20 individuals who also completed the LCCAB, 89.47% were impaired on at least one task, primarily in the domains of attention, executive function and processing speed. Cognitive performance was not associated with depression, anxiety, sleep quality or fatigue.
Conclusion
The vast majority of individuals with post-Covid syndrome presenting with subjective cognitive complaints do not exhibit impaired performance on the ACE-III. This likely reflects the historical use of ACE-III and other pen and paper cognitive tests to detect cognitive impairment in diseases causing dementia, but they are ill-equipped to identify impairment in those cognitive domains affected in post-Covid syndrome. The LCCAB detected cognitive impairments in nearly 90% of participants, primarily affecting attention, executive function, and processing speed. These observations highlight the need for alternative cognitive tests for use in routine clinical practice to detect the impairments in new acquired cognitive disorders that are not adequately captured by legacy tests.
