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Exercise types and working memory components during development

2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 26; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.tics.2021.12.004

1879-307X

Sebastian Ludyga, Markus Gerber, Keita Kamijo,

Cognitive Abilities and Testing

Evidence showing that direct training of working memory (using cognitive approaches) does not necessarily promise transfer effects to the academic domain has led to a call for alternative intervention approaches in children and adolescents. Exercise-induced improvements for working memory found in older adults may not generalize to children and adolescents. However, these age groups have high adaptation reserves for memory functions that continue to develop throughout adolescence. Neuroimaging findings suggest shared neural substrates between motor and working memory tasks. Thus, the promotion of motor skills and functions may be a pathway to improve working memory. Neurobiological responses to exercise have been linked with working memory. These responses may reveal whether different exercise types and intensities influence related functions by common or distinct mechanisms. Working memory is crucial to learning and academic success. Exercise has been found to benefit working memory in late life, but its effects during cognitive development are less clear. Building on findings that working memory is supported by the motor system, we highlight the sensitivity of different working memory components to acute and long-term exercise in children and adolescents. We also consider how the specific skill demands of endurance and coordinative exercise influence this sensitivity. Distinct effects of these exercise types are further linked with neurocognitive and neuroendocrine pathways. Our review suggests long-term rather than acute benefits of exercise for children and adolescents’ working memory, which are more pronounced and specific for exercise with high coordinative demands. Working memory is crucial to learning and academic success. Exercise has been found to benefit working memory in late life, but its effects during cognitive development are less clear. Building on findings that working memory is supported by the motor system, we highlight the sensitivity of different working memory components to acute and long-term exercise in children and adolescents. We also consider how the specific skill demands of endurance and coordinative exercise influence this sensitivity. Distinct effects of these exercise types are further linked with neurocognitive and neuroendocrine pathways. Our review suggests long-term rather than acute benefits of exercise for children and adolescents’ working memory, which are more pronounced and specific for exercise with high coordinative demands. protein in support of neuronal growth and repair, synaptic function, synaptic plasticity, and cellular homeostasis. It is expressed both in the brain and peripheral tissues. slow cortical potential (measured via electroencephalography) with a negative-going amplitude that can be observed between the presentation of a memory array and a probe [88.Segalowitz S.J. et al.Electrophysiological changes during adolescence: a review.Brain Cogn. 2010; 72: 86-100Crossref PubMed Scopus (157) Google Scholar]. It indexes memory operations, provides information on the cognitive control mode, and is generated mainly by the prefrontal cortex. builds on complex sensory-motor learning and aims to improve fine and gross-motor body coordination (leg-arm, eye-hand, bilateral coordination) by complex movement tasks (e.g., skill-focused gymnastics, choreography dance, and motor-demanding games) [13.McMorris T. et al.Beyond the catecholamines hypothesis for an acute exercise–cognition interaction.in: McMorris T. Exercise-Cognition Interaction. 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