Effects of acute exercise on neuropsychological performance in an elderly population

Dawe, Doreen Elizabeth Noble (1991) Effects of acute exercise on neuropsychological performance in an elderly population. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The effects of a single 15-minute bout (i.e. acute) of nonstrenuous exercise on three neuropsychologic tests were evaluated using a randomized pre-post experimental design. Two tests measured memory recall performance; the modified Set test and the Word Fluency test. The third was a test of psychomotor performance; the Symbol Digit test. Twenty nursing home residents (aged 76-93 years) were assigned randomly to an exercise or passive intervention condition, with the tests administered pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and again after a 30-minute delay. Significant results were obtained on the modified Set test, which is a word fluency test with semantic cues. The scores at both post-tests were significantly elevated over the pretest score in the exercise group (p <.01), whereas the control group scores did not differ significantly across times of measurement. The magnitude of exercise-induced gain (i.e., approximately 20% over the pretest level) was such that the effects of acute exercise are indicated to have meaningfully facilitated semantic recall in nursing home residents. Demographic studies indicate that the 75 and over age group will show the greatest growth rate within the senior population thus increasing the demand for institutionalized care. The findings of this study indicate that aspects of memory can be improved using exercise which can be readily incorporated into daily nursing home care; this may help maintain the independence of this frail group.

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