Arm ergometry exercise intensity interaction with motor memory

Abstract

Exercise interventions have demonstrated improvements in long-term declarative memory (Labban & Etnier, 2011; Potter & Keeling, 2005; Winter et al., 2007), and a smaller number of studies have produced the same benefit with procedural memory (Roig, Skriver, Lundbye-Jensen, Kiens, & Nielsen, 2012; Thomas et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine if procedural memory was improved by either high or low-intensity arm ergometry exercise. Participants (N = 32) were assigned to control (CON), low-intensity (LOW), or high-intensity (HIGH) groups. Two motor tasks were investigated, fine and gross, utilizing three blocks of five trials at acquisition and one block of five trials at follow-up testing (one day and seven day). Repeated measures ANOVAs were executed. No significant effect was observed on fine or gross motor memory (p > 0.05). Many confounding variables existed to produce this outcome. Further research needs to be done to extrapolate a decisive conclusion.