Effects of incidental physical activity on morphosyntactic processing in aging

PLoS One. 2020 Sep 29;15(9):e0239727. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239727. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Older adults have difficulties in sentence comprehension when working memory (WM) load increases (e.g., multiple embedded clauses). Structured physical activity has been related to improvements in cognition; however, incidental physical activity (PA, i.e., unstructured daily physical activities), particularly incidental vigorous activity has been poorly studied in relation to its effects on behavior. Furthermore, no positive effect on language has been reported in either form of physical activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate how two levels of PA (high or low) affect WM processing and how this, in turn, may affect morphosyntactic processing in older adults. Individuals with high PA (n = 18) had a higher WM load effect than those with low PA (n = 18), both behaviorally (greater differences between high and low WM loads in correct responses) and in terms of event-related potentials (only subjects with high PA showed LAN and P600b amplitude differences between high and low WM loads). These findings suggest that PA promotes cognitive strategies to face WM loads and morphosyntactic processing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aging*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Electroencephalography
  • Evoked Potentials
  • Exercise*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term / physiology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Reaction Time
  • Reading

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: PAPIIT- DGAPA (http://dgapa.unam.mx/index.php/impulso-a-la-investigacion/papiit), project IN200817 [TF] and CONACYT Becas para Repatriaciones 2019-1 (https://www.conacyt.gob.mx/): Award number 2019-000011-01NACV-00010 [JSL]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.