Investigating the Effects of Combined Physical-cognitive Exercises on Executive Functions: A Home-based Exercise Approach

Abstract

Purpose: Improving brain functions through physical exercises has been the focus of research in recent years. Accordingly, it is important to examine the kind of physical exercises and brain functions that are affected. This study aims to examine the effect of integrated physical cognitive exercises at home on the executive functions of adults. Methods: This was a field trial study, in which 28 people were examined in 2 groups. People in the experimental group participated in combined cognitive and physical exercises for 16 sessions, while the control group did their daily routines. Inhibition components were evaluated by the go/no-go test and working memory through the N-back test at the beginning and end of the training period. The data were analyzed via factorial analysis of variance through the SPSS software, version 19. Results: The findings indicated that the experimental condition, compared to the control condition, caused a significant improvement in the correct inhibition (P=0.002) and total correct response (P=0.047) components in the go/no-go test, along with the commission errors in the N-back test (P=0.003). Conclusion: The results showed that the combined physical and cognitive exercise had a positive effect on the core executive functions (attentional inhibition and working memory) and could prevent the performance decrement caused by quarantine and the reduction of daily activities that people were facing.

Keywords

• executive functions
• physical exercise
• cognitive training