A study by Professor Morita Noriaki of Hokkaido University of Education Iwamizawa Campus, Associate Professor Ishihara Nobuyuki of Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Associate Professor Kamigami Keita of Chukyo University's Graduate School of Liberal Arts Education, and Professor Charles Hillman of the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University has found that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise strengthens long-term memory for at least eight weeks.
According to the research group, 44 healthy university students were divided into two groups: one for 20 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling exercise and the other for sitting and doing nothing. After reading 15 words aloud, they were asked to take a test in which they had to write down as many words they had memorized as possible in one minute. After that, they were given a word recall test 1 hours later, 24 weeks later, 4 weeks later, 6 weeks later, and 8 months later to examine the relationship between exercise and long-term memory.
As a result, there was no difference after 24 hours, and although the exercise group gave slightly more correct answers after four weeks, no statistical difference was found. However, after six weeks, the exercise group gave about 4% more correct answers, and after eight weeks, about 6% more correct answers, indicating that exercising before learning is effective in solidifying memories. However, after 10 months, the results returned to no difference.
The research group believes that exercise helped consolidate long-term memory for at least eight weeks. Previous studies have shown that exercise improves memory for only a maximum of one week, but it is thought that the memory-improving effects may actually last for much longer.
Paper information:[Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport] Movement boosts memory: Investigating the effects of acute exercise on episodic long-term memory
