Vigorous-Intensity Acute Exercise During Encoding Can Reduce Levels of Episodic and False Memory Publisher Pubmed



Loprinzi P¹ ; Javadi AH^{2, 3} ; Jung M⁴ ; Watson H¹ ; Sanderson C¹ ; Kang M⁵ ; Kelemen WL⁶
Source: Memory Published:2022

Abstract

The potential benefits (veridical memory) and, importantly, costs (false memory) of acute exercise on memory in conjunction with the timing and type of exercise have not been fully studied. In Experiment 1, we employed a three-condition (15-minute vigorous-intensity acute exercise Before or During memory encoding, or a Control condition of watching a video), within-subjects, counterbalanced design. The procedures included an immediate and delayed (20-minute post encoding) free recall assessment. Veridical memory was determined by the number of studied words that were recalled, whereas false memory was determined by retrieving a non-presented, critical item. For veridical memory, Before was not different than Control (p =.42), however, During was worse than Before and Control (p’s <.001). No differences occurred for false memory. Experiment 2 was conducted that included several additional exercise conditions (e.g., light-intensity exercise) during memory encoding, used a recognition task instead of a free recall task, and extended the long-term memory assessment out to 24-hours. Experiment 2 demonstrated that vigorous-intensity acute exercise during encoding reduced both veridical and false memory for related new items (p <.05). These findings demonstrate that the timing and intensity of exercise play an important role in influencing memory performance. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.