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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Physical activity moderates time-of-day differences in older adults' working memory performance
Julie M Bugg1, Edward L DeLosh, Benjamin A Clegg
1Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. jbugg@artsci.wustl.edu
Experimental Aging Research
|September 20, 2006
Summary
Physical activity levels influence how older adults’ working memory changes throughout the day. More active seniors maintained consistent cognitive performance, unlike sedentary peers whose memory declined in the evening.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Exercise science
Background:
- Cognitive performance in older adults can vary by time of day.
- Physical fitness is known to impact cognitive function.
- The interplay between these factors, particularly in working memory, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if physical activity moderates time-of-day effects on working memory in older adults.
- To determine if this moderation extends to other cognitive tasks like simple reaction time.
- To propose a theoretical explanation for observed effects.
Main Methods:
- Recruited older adults and assessed their physical activity levels.
- Administered working memory and simple reaction time tasks at different times of day (morning vs. evening).
- Analyzed data to identify interactions between time of day, physical activity, and cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Sedentary older adults showed a significant decline in working memory from morning to evening.
- Active older adults exhibited stable working memory performance across the day.
- This moderating effect of physical activity was specific to working memory and not observed in simple reaction time tasks.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity may buffer against diurnal fluctuations in working memory performance in older adults.
- Mental fatigue's selective impact on executive control processes could explain these findings.
- Promoting physical activity may be a strategy to support consistent cognitive function in aging populations.
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