A recent study from researchers at Penn State College of Medicine has revealed that engaging in everyday physical activity can yield immediate benefits for brain health, particularly in middle-aged individuals. The findings indicate that such activities can enhance cognitive processing speed, making participants appear nearly four years younger in cognitive terms, regardless of whether the activity is light—like walking the dog or doing household chores—or more vigorous, such as jogging.
The study, published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, emphasizes that one does not need to hit the gym to reap the cognitive benefits of physical activity. “All movement is important. Everyday movement counts as a source of accumulated physical activity that contributes to a healthy lifestyle and may directly impact cognitive health,” stated Jonathan Hakun, assistant professor of neurology and psychology at Penn State.
Unlike previous research that focused on the long-term effects of physical activity on cognitive health, this study aimed to uncover the short-term impacts. Hakun utilized smartphone technology to conduct an ecological momentary assessment, allowing participants to report their physical activity multiple times throughout their day. Over a nine-day period, participants checked in six times daily, approximately every 3.5 hours, to share their activity levels and intensity.
The study involved 204 participants aged 40 to 65 from the Bronx, NY, who were part of the Multicultural Healthy Diet Study aimed at reducing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s risk. The cohort included a diverse demographic, with half identifying as Black or African American and 34% as Hispanic.
The analysis revealed that participants who reported being physically active within the previous 3.5 hours exhibited improvements in cognitive processing speed similar to being four years younger. While there were no significant changes noted in working memory, response times during memory tasks reflected the same enhancements seen in processing speed.
“We get slower as we age, both physically and cognitively. The idea here is that we can momentarily counteract that through movement. It’s compelling,” Hakun remarked. He noted that individuals who engaged in physical activity more frequently experienced greater cognitive benefits, suggesting that regular movement may enhance cognitive health.
Hakun indicated that further research is necessary to determine the optimal amount, frequency, and timing of physical activity for cognitive health benefits. Future studies may integrate ecological momentary assessments with activity monitoring tools to better track the relationship between physical activity and cognitive outcomes. There is also a plan to conduct longitudinal studies to assess how everyday physical activity influences cognitive health over time compared to the effects of normal aging.
Conclusion
The study was co-authored by Penn State researchers Daniel Elbich, a data scientist; Tian Qiu, a doctoral student in epidemiology and public health sciences; and Martin Sliwinski, a professor of human development and family studies. Collaborators from other institutions included Lizbeth Benson from the University of Michigan, Mindy Katz from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Pamela Shaw from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, and Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, also from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
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