10.5 Exercise-Induced Cognitive Function Enhancement
The Six Domains of Cognitive Function
Cognitive function is composed of six domains associated with the acquisition, comprehension, and utilization of information. Click on each card to learn more about each domain.
Text Description
Front of Card
- Attention
- Executive function
- Learning and memory
- Language
- Motor control
- Social cognition
Back of Card:
- Our ability to choose what we are going to focus on (whether laser-focused on a single task or dispersing our attentional resources in an attempt to multitask).
- Higher-order cognitive processes are associated with decision-making, planning, and organization.
- Our ability to record, store, and retrieve information.
- Our ability to communicate
- Our ability to coordinate bodily movements in response to our goals and environment.
- Our ability to effectively store and use information in social settings and interactions.
How Exercises Increase Cognitive Function
Exercise can be used as a tool that not only enhances our physical function, but it has been proven that both resistance and cardiorespiratory exercise can increase cognitive function (Etnier et al., 2020). The following mechanisms contribute to exercise-induced cognitive enhancement:
Increased Blood Flow to the Brain
When exercising, the body undergoes increases in both heart rate and blood pressure, which work to increase blood flow to the working musculature and the rest of the body. This increase in overall blood flow also increases the amount of blood being delivered to the brain, which in turn has been shown to increase cognition and brain function (Guiney et al., 2015).
Increase in Catecholamines and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
Exercise increases the release of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine) and BDNF, which have also been shown to increase cognitive function (McMorris, 2021).
Fitness Fact
Increases in cognitive function can be detected after just one workout.
