Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task.
Physical activity has beneficial effects on executive functions and episodic memory, two processes affected by aging. These benefits seem to depend on the type of memory task, but only a few studies have evaluated them despite their importance in understanding aging. This study aimed to confirm that...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263919 |
| _version_ | 1831766031192817664 |
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| author | Ilona Moutoussamy Laurence Taconnat Kristell Pothier Lucette Toussaint Séverine Fay |
| author_facet | Ilona Moutoussamy Laurence Taconnat Kristell Pothier Lucette Toussaint Séverine Fay |
| author_sort | Ilona Moutoussamy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Physical activity has beneficial effects on executive functions and episodic memory, two processes affected by aging. These benefits seem to depend on the type of memory task, but only a few studies have evaluated them despite their importance in understanding aging. This study aimed to confirm that the benefits of physical activity on episodic memory in older adults vary according to the executive resources required by the memory task, comparing free recall and cued recall. Thirty-seven young adults and 37 older adults performed two memory tasks and an updating task. The two groups had a similar level of physical activity over the preceding 12 months, assessed by a questionnaire. Both the memory and the updating tasks were performed better by the younger than the older adults. A similar cueing effect was observed in the two groups. Physical activity was positively correlated with updating and free recall, but not with cued-recall, and only in older adults. Regression analyses indicated that physical activity accounted for 24% of the variance in free recall in older adults. Updating did not predict free recall (ns) when physical activity was entered in the analysis. The present results show that the benefits of physical activity vary with age and episodic memory task. Only free-recall performance, which relies on updating, seems to depend on physical activity, suggesting that the executive resources required for the task play an important role in the effect of physical activity on memory performance. This should be investigated in greater depth in subsequent studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T06:15:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a3ea753e782342ac9953384ee0e0b971 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T06:15:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-a3ea753e782342ac9953384ee0e0b9712022-12-21T18:36:08ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01172e026391910.1371/journal.pone.0263919Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task.Ilona MoutoussamyLaurence TaconnatKristell PothierLucette ToussaintSéverine FayPhysical activity has beneficial effects on executive functions and episodic memory, two processes affected by aging. These benefits seem to depend on the type of memory task, but only a few studies have evaluated them despite their importance in understanding aging. This study aimed to confirm that the benefits of physical activity on episodic memory in older adults vary according to the executive resources required by the memory task, comparing free recall and cued recall. Thirty-seven young adults and 37 older adults performed two memory tasks and an updating task. The two groups had a similar level of physical activity over the preceding 12 months, assessed by a questionnaire. Both the memory and the updating tasks were performed better by the younger than the older adults. A similar cueing effect was observed in the two groups. Physical activity was positively correlated with updating and free recall, but not with cued-recall, and only in older adults. Regression analyses indicated that physical activity accounted for 24% of the variance in free recall in older adults. Updating did not predict free recall (ns) when physical activity was entered in the analysis. The present results show that the benefits of physical activity vary with age and episodic memory task. Only free-recall performance, which relies on updating, seems to depend on physical activity, suggesting that the executive resources required for the task play an important role in the effect of physical activity on memory performance. This should be investigated in greater depth in subsequent studies.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263919 |
| spellingShingle | Ilona Moutoussamy Laurence Taconnat Kristell Pothier Lucette Toussaint Séverine Fay Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. PLoS ONE |
| title | Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. |
| title_full | Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. |
| title_fullStr | Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. |
| title_short | Episodic memory and aging: Benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task. |
| title_sort | episodic memory and aging benefits of physical activity depend on the executive resources required for the task |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263919 |
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