Physical training

Abstract

Physical activity and exercise training have often been reported as ecological approaches to help improve and maintain cognitive health across the human life span. This chapter reviews some seminal and recent interventional studies that have attempted to assess whether and how specific physical activities impact cognition. A large number of interventional studies used aerobic and strength programs to investigate the impact of exercise on cognition and showed protective effects on executive functioning, modulated by specific biomarkers. More recently, it was suggested that new training approaches targeting gross motor abilities or using popular soft gymnastics (yoga, dance, tai chi) can also lead to improvements in cognitive functions. These emerging programs could be described as being combined interventions, with physical, cognitive, and social characteristics. Overall, results reviewed here support the notion that physical exercise can contribute to develop and preserve cognitive health across the entire life span. Moreover, simultaneously combining physical and cognitive exercise might represent a new interesting path in the quest to alleviate age-related cognitive decline.