Exercise alters brain activity during cognitive tasks, advanced imaging finds

Researchers at AIST and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center investigated how aerobic exercise impacts brain activity during cognitive tasks in healthy young and older adults, according to a study published in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. By utilizing a cutting-edge neuroimaging facility, the research team was able to differentiate between the effects of exercise itself and those caused by repeatedly performing cognitive tasks between exercise intervals.

The findings revealed that aerobic exercise alters regional brain activity patterns during cognitive tasks, and task repetition significantly influences brain activity efficiency during these tasks. Although exercise is thought to help prevent cognitive decline and dementia, the study's results indicate that accurately measuring these effects requires distinguishing between exercise-induced changes and those brought about by task repetition, which has previously been challenging.

The research demonstrates that aerobic exercise may impact neural processes during cognitive tasks, and in older adults, a decline in brain activity associated with task repetition is correlated with better task performance, suggesting that changes in brain activity linked to habituation may contribute to more efficient task processing.

While the benefits of exercise on cognitive function may not be immediately noticeable in daily life, visualizing changes in brain activity during tasks can help highlight the advantages of regular exercise. This increased understanding could encourage people to continue exercising and potentially prevent future cognitive decline.