Groove Rhythm Enhances Exercise Impact on Prefrontal Cortex Function in Groove Enjoyers.

A positive affective response modulates the effects of aerobic exercise on prefrontal executive function (EF). Groove rhythm (GR), eliciting the feeling of wanting to move to music, is useful for inducing positive affective response during exercise. Three minutes of listening to GR activated the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) and enhanced EF in participants who had higher psychological responses to GR. This finding prompted us to test the hypothesis that the combination of GR and exercise (GREX) induces positive psychological responses that enhance PFC function through entrainment of body movements and musical beats. 41 participants were administered two experimental conditions: three min of very light-intensity (30% V̇ O2peak) exercise combined with GR and combined with a white-noise metronome (WMEX). Before and after exercise, participants performed a Stroop task and were monitored for l-DLPFC activity with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. GREX enhanced EF and l-DLPFC activity in participants who experienced greater subjective feelings of audiomotor entrainment and increased excitement with GREX. These psychological responses were predictive of the impact of GREX on l-DLPFC activity and EF. These findings, together with previous results, support the hypothesis that GR allows us to boost the cognitive benefits of exercise via l-DLPFC activity only in those who enjoy groove, and suggest that subjective audiomotor entrainment is a key mechanism of this boosting effect.

Groove rhythm stimulates prefrontal cortex function in groove enjoyers.

Hearing a groove rhythm (GR), which creates the sensation of wanting to move to the music, can also create feelings of pleasure and arousal in people, and it may enhance cognitive performance, as does exercise, by stimulating the prefrontal cortex. Here, we examined the hypothesis that GR enhances executive function (EF) by acting on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) while also considering individual differences in psychological responses. Fifty-one participants underwent two conditions: 3 min of listening to GR or a white-noise metronome. Before and after listening, participants performed the Stroop task and were monitored for l-DLPFC activity with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Our results show that GR enhanced EF and l-DLPFC activity in participants who felt a greater groove sensation and a more feeling clear-headed after listening to GR. Further, these psychological responses predict the impact of GR on l-DLPFC activity and EF, suggesting that GR enhances EF via l-DLPFC activity when the psychological response to GR is enhanced.

Effects of Versatile Kinesthetic Experiences on Balance Ability and Interpersonal Relationships.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of kinesthetic experiences on balance ability (using exercise balls for gymnastics) and on interpersonal relationships by comparing two different learning methods. Participants learning gymnastics during physical education classes at university were randomly allocated to a kinesthetic-experiential learning (KEL) group (n = 20) or a model-mastery learning (MML) group (n = 22). Both groups practiced a balancing exercise on an exercise ball. In the KEL group, participants were asked to pay attention to the sensations of their body on the ball in a variety of movements, whereas the MML group was asked to reproduce the instructions of the ideal model provided by an instructor. The results showed that the participants in the KEL group had longer balancing time on the exercise ball, higher self-evaluation scores, and higher interpersonal relationship scores than those in the MML group, although the objective evaluations of postural stability were better in the MML group than in the KEL group. These findings suggest that methods that provide learners with versatile kinesthetic experiences through a variety of movements are more effective for enhancing balance ability and interpersonal relationships.

Improvement of the ability to recover balance through versatile kinesthetic learning experiences.

The purpose of the present study was to compare learners' movement variability while maintaining balance and the ability to recover balance using the kinesthetic-experiential learning (KEL) method of implicit learning and the model-mastery learning (MML) method of explicit learning. The participants were 29 healthy university students. They were randomly divided into two groups (KEL and MML). They were required to balance both knees on an exercise ball. The balancing time and the ability to recover their balance were measured using motion capture. Results indicated that balancing time was significantly improved for both learning methods. Regarding the learners' movements while maintaining balance, they maintained balance while moving in the KEL method, whereas they maintained balance by keeping the entire body stationary in the MML method. Concerning the ability to recover, the KEL method improved the balance recovery ability more effectively than the MML method. Therefore, we concluded that using the KEL method at the initial stage of learning improves learners' balance recovery ability and increases movement variability.

Positive Mood while Exercising Influences Beneficial Effects of Exercise with Music on Prefrontal Executive Function: A Functional NIRS Study.

Much attention has been focused on physical exercise benefits to mental health such as mood and cognitive function. Our recent studies have consistently shown that a single bout of exercise elicits increased task-related brain activation mainly in the dorsolateral part of the prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which results in improved executive performance. As the DLPFC is associated with the modulation of mood as well as executive function, it is tempting to hypothesize that exercising while in a positive mood would facilitate the beneficial effects of exercise on executive function via DLPFC activation. Thus, we conceived an experiment that used music to elicit a positive mood during exercise. Thirty-three young adults performed ten minutes of moderate-intensity (50% V.O2peak) pedaling exercise with two experimental conditions: listening to music and listening to beeps at a steady tempo. Mood and executive function were respectively assessed using the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale and a color-word-matching Stroop task before and after the exercise sessions. Prefrontal activation during the Stroop task was monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Exercise with music elicited greater enhancement of a positive mood (vitality) than did exercise with beeps. Contrary to our hypothesis, there were no significant differences between conditions in improvement in Stroop task performance and task-related cortical activation in the left-DLPFC. The correlation analyses, however, revealed significant correlations among increased vitality, shortened Stroop interference time and increased activation in the left-DLPFC. These results support the hypothesis that positive mood while exercising influences the benefit of exercise on prefrontal activation and executive performance.

The influence of autogenic training on the physical properties of skin and cardiac autonomic activity in postmenopausal women: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Autogenic training (AT) is a major relaxation training technique whose clinical efficacy has been verified in dermatology. Many reports demonstrate ameliorated skin conditions in AT-treated subjects with reduced psychological stress. However, no studies have examined the effects of AT on the skin of postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVES: We examine the influences of AT on the physical properties of skin and cardiac autonomic activity in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Postmenopausal women were classed into an AT group and a control one. The women in the AT group were mentored by a professional to practice AT twice a day for 7 weeks. The women in the control group were instructed to close their eyes for 3 minutes instead of AT. Hydration of the stratum corneum (SC), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin elasticity and heart-rate variability (HRV) were measured before and after the study period to examine how they changed. RESULTS: SC hydration and skin elasticity of the cheek, increased in both groups, and the increase was significantly higher in the AT group (n = 14) than in the control group (n = 12) (P < 0.05, Cohen's d = 1.03; P < 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.99; respectively). TEWL did not change in either group. LF/HF was lower in the AT group than in the control group (P < 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.91). CONCLUSION: AT increased SC hydration and skin elasticity with changes in the balance of autonomic nervous system activity in postmenopausal women, implying that AT may have improvement effects on aged skin by menopause.

Positive effect of acute mild exercise on executive function via arousal-related prefrontal activations: an fNIRS study.

Despite the practical implication of mild exercise, little is known about its influence on executive function and its neural substrates. To address these issues, the present study examined the effect of an acute bout of mild exercise on executive function and attempted to identify potential neural substrates using non-invasive functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Twenty-five young individuals performed a color-word matching Stroop task (CWST) and a two-dimensional scale to measure changes of psychological mood states both before and after a 10-minute exercise session on a cycle ergometer at light intensity (30% v(·)o2peak) and, for the control session, without exercise. Cortical hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal area were monitored with fNIRS during the CWST in both sessions. The acute bout of mild exercise led to improved Stroop performance, which was positively correlated with increased arousal levels. It also evoked cortical activations regarding Stroop interference on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar area. These activations significantly corresponded with both improved cognitive performance and increased arousal levels. Concurrently, this study provides empirical evidence that an acute bout of mild exercise improves executive function mediated by the exercise-induced arousal system, which intensifies cortical activation in task-related prefrontal sub-regions.

Enhancing effect of cerebral blood volume by mild exercise in healthy young men: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

A mechanism by which exercise improves brain function may be attributed to increase in cerebral blood volume (CBV) with physical activity. However, the exact exercise intensity that influences CBV is still uncertain. To clarify this issue, 10 healthy young male participants were asked to perform a graded cycling exercise to the point of exhaustion while their prefrontal cortex CBVs are being monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy. Overall responsive cerebral oxygenation showed a non-linear pattern with three distinct phases. The CBV-threshold (CBVT), an event where rapid oxygenation takes place, occurred at approximately 42% of the V O2max. The CBVT preceded the lactate threshold (LT), which was at approximately 55% of the V O2max. The V O2max was not predictive of the CBVT in among the subjects. Our results indicate that oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex increases during graded cycling even at exercise intensities below the LT, suggesting the potential role of mild exercise in enhancing CBV.