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Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
Published on: July 19, 2017
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Exercise modulates the interaction between cognition and anxiety in humans
Tiffany R Lago1, Abigail Hsiung1, Brooks P Leitner2
1a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA.
Cognition & Emotion
|July 24, 2018
Summary
Exercise may not reduce anxiety during demanding cognitive tasks. While physical activity enhances cognitive function, it unexpectedly increased anxiety responses in healthy adults during high working memory load challenges.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Exercise Science
Background:
- The anxiolytic effects of exercise are of interest, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
- Attention control engagement during high working memory (WM) load can reduce anxiety.
- Exercise is known to improve attention control, suggesting a potential mechanism for anxiety reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if exercise enhances the anxiolytic effects of increased working memory load by strengthening attention control.
- To examine the interplay between physical activity, cognitive load, and anxiety responses.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-five healthy volunteers underwent two conditions: moderate-intensity exercise and low-intensity control activity.
- Anxiety was induced via threat of shock and measured using anxiety-potentiated startle (APS).
- Participants completed a working memory (n-back) task under low and high load, in safe and threat conditions, post-activity.
Main Results:
- Moderate exercise, compared to control activity, significantly increased anxiety-potentiated startle during high working memory load (p=.03).
- This increase in anxiety was not associated with impaired working memory performance under threat (p=.37).
- Exercise appeared to facilitate cognitive processing and prevent threat-induced cognitive interference.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesis that exercise boosts anxiolysis during high cognitive load via attention control was not supported.
- Exercise may enhance overall cognitive abilities, but its effect on anxiety during demanding cognitive tasks requires further investigation.
- Future research should explore exercise's impact on the cognition-anxiety relationship in clinical anxiety populations.
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