The Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Cognitive Function: Systematic Review

Abstract

The objective of this brief systematic review was to examine the effects of aquatic exercise on cognitive function. Studies were identified using electronic databases, including PubMed, PsychInfo, Sports Discus and Google Scholar. In total, 13 articles met the inclusionary criteria. Among the 13 studies, all 13 demonstrated beneficial cognitive effects from exercise. This included chronic aquatic exercise-induced improvements in global cognition, executive function, attention, learning and memory, cognitively-related biomarkers (e.g., BDNF) and cerebral oxygenation. For the two acute aquatic studies, listening errors, via an auditory vigilance task, was reduced when participants were emerged in chest-deep water, when compared to on land. These beneficial effects appear to occur across multiple populations, including children, adolescents, young adults and older adults with various conditions, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and fibromyalgia.