Effect of acute moderate exercise on cognitive P300 in persons having sedentary lifestyles

BACKGROUND: There are conflicting reports regarding the effect of exercise on cognition. We therefore planned to assess the acute effect of moderate exercise on cognition, studied by event-related brain potential P300, in subjects having sedentary lifestyles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty adults (40 males and 20 females) in the age-group of 18–30 years having sedentary lifestyles were included in the study. Baseline P300 was first measured and after that the subjects were divided into two equal age- and sex-matched groups. The test group was subjected to moderate exercise (that is, to achieve 60%–80% of maximum heart rate during exercise, where 100%=200–age) on a bicycle ergometer for 5 minutes, following which postexposure P300 was measured. In the control group P300 was re-recorded 15 minutes after baseline recording, without any intervening exercise. RESULTS: The latency of P300 was found to be significantly reduced after acute moderate exercise in the test group. CONCLUSION: It appears that acute moderate exercise improves the cognitive brain functions of adults with sedentary lifestyles.