Physical and Mental Activity on Cognitive Functioning

Cognitive reserve is a term that refers to the brain’s functional plasticity in the face of age-related structural decline. Physical activity has many physiological benefits, like reducing the harmful effects of hypertension and diabetes, for the brain. There is also mounting evidence of the benefits of engaging in cognitively stimulating activities for increasing one’s cognitive reserve. The current study examined the potential effects of both types of activities on cognitive functioning in a nationally representative adult sample. During the experiment participants completed Global Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess physical activity, completed a demographics questionnaire assessing weekly participation in mental activities, and then completed an N-Back test of working memory. The goal of this study was to see if physical activity and mental activity levels had an effect on N-Back scores. The results of the study did not support the original hypothesis: Participants with higher rates of mental and physical activities did not score higher on N-Back test. Although the results were inconsistent with the hypothesis, implications such as inaccurate measure of physical activity and small sample size of participants who were high in rates of physical activity and mental activity may explain why these results were not supported by the data.