Background: There are conflicting reports regarding the effect of exercise on cognition. We therefore planned to assess the acute effect of moderate exercise on cognition, studied by event-related brain potential P300, in subjects having sedentary lifestyles.
Materials and methods: Sixty adults (40 males and 20 females) in the age-group of 18-30 years having sedentary lifestyles were included in the study. Baseline P300 was first measured and after that the subjects were divided into two equal age- and sex-matched groups. The test group was subjected to moderate exercise (that is, to achieve 60%-80% of maximum heart rate during exercise, where 100%=200-age) on a bicycle ergometer for 5 minutes, following which postexposure P300 was measured. In the control group P300 was re-recorded 15 minutes after baseline recording, without any intervening exercise.
Results: The latency of P300 was found to be significantly reduced after acute moderate exercise in the test group.
Conclusion: It appears that acute moderate exercise improves the cognitive brain functions of adults with sedentary lifestyles.
Keywords: Cognition; event-related potential; exercise; sedentary lifestyle.