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Jentsch VL, Wolf OT, Otto T, Merz CJ. The impact of physical exercise on the consolidation of fear extinction memories. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14373. [PMID: 37350416 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Based on the mechanisms of fear extinction, exposure therapy is the most common treatment for anxiety disorders. However, extinguished fear responses can reemerge even after successful treatment. Novel interventions enhancing exposure therapy efficacy are therefore critically needed. Physical exercise improves learning and memory and was also shown to enhance extinction processes. This study tested whether physical exercise following fear extinction training improves the consolidation of extinction memories. Sixty healthy men underwent a differential fearconditioning paradigm with fear acquisition training on day 1 and fear extinction training followed by an exercise or resting control intervention on day 2. On day 3, retrieval and reinstatement were tested including two additional but perceptually similar stimuli to explore the generalization of exercise effects. Exercise significantly increased heart rate, salivary alpha amylase, and cortisol, indicating successful exercise manipulation. Contrary to our expectations, exercise did not enhance but rather impaired extinction memory retrieval on the next day, evidenced by significantly stronger differential skin conductance responses (SCRs) and pupil dilation (PD). Importantly, although conditioned fear responses were successfully acquired, they did not fully extinguish, explaining why exercise might have boosted the consolidation of the original fear memory trace instead. Additionally, stronger differential SCRs and PD toward the novel stimuli suggest that the memory enhancing effects of exercise also generalized to perceptually similar stimuli. Together, these findings indicate that physical exercise can facilitate both the long-term retrievability and generalization of extinction memories, but presumably only when extinction was successful in the first place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie L Jentsch
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Tobias Otto
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Venezia AC, Weiss LR, Nielson KA, Smith JC. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity cycling exercise immediately after visual learning enhances delayed recognition memory performance. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2023; 69:102498. [PMID: 37665933 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
A single bout of acute aerobic exercise has been shown to improve long-term memory, though it is unclear if exercise before learning or after learning is optimal for memory enhancement. Although some research has demonstrated that exercise before learning is ideal, investigations have consistently shown that acute arousal post-learning is a powerful memory enhancer. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the effects of self-perceived hard cycling before or after learning on recognition memory for emotional and neutral images, and examine the relationship between central noradrenergic activity and memory performance. Seventy-two males and females (18-35 years of age) participated in this between-subjects study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: exercise before learning, exercise after learning, and control. Participants in the exercise groups engaged in 20 min of cycling at a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 15 ("hard") on the Borg RPE scale before or after viewing a series of 90 pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral images (30 each). Participants in the control group engaged in no exercise before or after image viewing. At several time points throughout the experiment, saliva was collected to measure salivary alpha amylase (sAA), a marker of central noradrenergic activity. One-week later, recognition memory was assessed where participants viewed 180 images (90 new) and had to identify which images were previously viewed. Participants in the exercise after learning group had significantly higher recognition memory compared to the control group, but this was not seen with exercise before learning. sAA was not correlated with memory in any group, though it did increase during exercise. These results demonstrate that acute self-perceived hard cycling post-learning, but not pre-learning, improves recognition memory, though this was unrelated to the exercise-induced increase in central noradrenergic activity as measured in saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Venezia
- Department of Health and Human Performance, The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA.
| | - Lauren R Weiss
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Kristy A Nielson
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Department of Neurology and the Center for Imaging Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA
| | - J Carson Smith
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Nakamura M, Kawata Y, Hirosawa M, Ota T, Shibata N. Differential effects of acute exercise on emotional memory in men and women. Front Sports Act Living 2023; 5:1062051. [PMID: 37234750 PMCID: PMC10208400 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1062051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Exercise may change emotional memory, which is associated with the induction of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. This effect of exercise may be influenced by exercise-induced cortisol release. Depending on sex, cortisol exerts differential effects on emotional memory consolidation. However, whether acute exercise and exercise-induced cortisol release have sex-dependent effects on emotional memory has not been established. Therefore, first, we aimed to determine the effects of acute exercise on emotional memory, separately for men and women, in a within-subjects design. Second, we aimed to examine whether the effects of acute exercise on emotional memory are related to the effects of exercise-induced cortisol release, separately for men and women. Sixteen healthy men and 15 healthy women were presented with positive and negative emotional images, followed by either rest or a vigorous-intensity cycling exercise condition using a within-subjects design on separate days. Salivary cortisol was measured before presenting the emotional images presentation and 20 min after each intervention. Emotional memory was assessed two days later. Vigorous-intensity exercise decreased emotional memory in women, whereas there was no change in men after rest or exercise. Cortisol levels increased after exercise intervention in both men and women, although there was no association between cortisol levels and emotional memory. These findings demonstrate that the effect of a single bout of vigorous-intensity exercise on emotional memory differs between men and women and is associated with decreased emotional memory in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyuki Nakamura
- Institute of Health and Sports Science & Medicine, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yujiro Kawata
- Institute of Health and Sports Science & Medicine, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
- Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Japan
- Graduate School of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Masataka Hirosawa
- Graduate School of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tsuneyoshi Ota
- Institute of Health and Sports Science & Medicine, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
- Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Japan
- Graduate School of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Nobuto Shibata
- Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan
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Ramirez Butavand D, Rodriguez MF, Cifuentes MV, Miranda M, Bauza CG, Bekinschtein P, Ballarini F. Acute and chronic physical activity improves spatial memory in an immersive virtual reality task. iScience 2023; 26:106176. [PMID: 36876135 PMCID: PMC9976459 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical activity benefits both fitness and cognition. However, its effect on long-term memory is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effect of acute and chronic exercise on long-term spatial memory for a new virtual reality task. Participants were immersed in the virtual environment and navigated a wide arena that included target objects. We assessed spatial memory in two conditions (encoded targets separated by a short or long distance) and found that 25 min of cycling after encoding - but not before retrieval - was sufficient to improve the long-term memory retention for the short, but not for the long distance. Furthermore, we found that participants who engaged in regular physical activity showed memory for the short-distance condition whereas controls did not. Thus, physical activity could be a simple way to improve spatial memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Ramirez Butavand
- Instituto De Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), CONICET- Fundación INECO, Universidad Favaloro, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Neurociencia Traslacional, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María F Rodriguez
- CONICET, PLADEMA, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María V Cifuentes
- CIC, PLADEMA, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Magdalena Miranda
- Instituto De Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), CONICET- Fundación INECO, Universidad Favaloro, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cristian García Bauza
- CONICET, PLADEMA, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pedro Bekinschtein
- Instituto De Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), CONICET- Fundación INECO, Universidad Favaloro, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fabricio Ballarini
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Traslacional, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias "Dr. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), CONICET- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, ITBA, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Loprinzi P, Olafson D, Scavuzzo C, Lovorn A, Mather M, Frith E, Fujiwara E. Effects of acute exercise on emotional memory. Cogn Emot 2022; 36:660-689. [PMID: 35293844 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2050890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Research has demonstrated beneficial effects of acute exercise on memory for neutral materials, such as word lists of neutral valence/low arousal. However, the impacts of exercise on emotional memory is less understood. Across three laboratory experiments in college students, we tested if acute exercise could enhance both neutral and emotional memory performance, anticipating a greater effect for emotional memory. We examined effects of exercise at varying intensities (Experiment 1: high-intensity; Experiment 2: low- and high-intensity; Experiment 3: moderate-intensity), of diverse modalities (Experiment 1: treadmill jogging; Experiment 2: cycling; Experiment 3: open-skill (racquetball) and closed-skill (treadmill jogging) exercise), and on emotional memory performance assessed at increasing levels of hippocampal dependency (Experiment 1: Y/N recognition task; Experiment 2: paired-associative recognition task; Experiment 3: cued-recall task). We found that, in all experiments, acute exercise did not significantly influence emotional or neutral memory performance relative to sedentary control conditions. However, we observed several noteworthy outcomes indicating that acute exercise may be linked to improvements in memory confidence and accuracy for central aspects of emotional memory stimuli, and that select exercise modalities (e.g. treadmill exercise) may also be associated with increased frequency of memory intrusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Loprinzi
- Exercise and Memory Laboratory, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Danielle Olafson
- Fujiwara Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Claire Scavuzzo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ashley Lovorn
- Exercise and Memory Laboratory, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Mara Mather
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emily Frith
- Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Esther Fujiwara
- Fujiwara Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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