Exercise Boosts Memory Immediately After Training

University of Maryland researchers found that healthy adults ages 55–85 did better on a memory task just after a moderate exercise session than they did after resting. Measurements of brain activity showed significantly more activation in memory-related areas of the brain immediately following physical activity.

“Just like a muscle adapts to repeated use, single sessions of exercise may flex cognitive neural networks in ways that promote adaptations over time and [lead] to increased network integrity and function and allow more efficient access to memories,” said principal investigator J. Carson Smith, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

The study was published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2019; 25 [6], 557–68).