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Presentation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Short-term memory recall is the ability to hold a limited amount of information easily accessible by the brain. Research has shown the positive trends of increased memory through aerobic exercise and regular blood glucose levels in separate studies. Reasons for increased memory from exercise and glucose include building stronger synapses which allows for increased communication between the hippocampus and cortical brain regions and glucose is the primary energy source of the brain. PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study was to find how glucose supplementation and submaximal exercise affects short-term memory recall. METHODS: Five female college students (age 21.75 ± 1.7 yrs) from UTA volunteered to do two trials of a 20 minute submaximal cycle ergometer test at 65% of their heart rate maximum. Each participant fasted for a minimum of four hours prior to participating and allowed for a minimum of 24 hours between each trial. Supplements (Cliff bars) with 24g of glucose were given on one of the two testing days. During exercise, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was taken. Blood glucose levels were checked before and after exercise and again after the memory test. Memory recall tests were given to participants after exercise. The participants had one minute to study the words, and then one minute to write down all the words they could remember. The alpha level for significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The average number of words remembered by the submaximal exercise with the supplement was 11 ± 2.28 , while the average number of words remembered by the submaximal exercise with no supplement given was 12 ± 2.77 which shows no significance (p = 0.4). Blood glucose levels before exercise with supplementation 115 ± 35.71 mg/dl and without supplementation 91 ± 18.33 mg/dl was found to have no significance (p = 0.2). CONCLUSION: Based on the results from this study, there is no significant evidence that glucose supplementation and submaximal exercise have an effect on short-term memory recall.

Disciplines

Kinesiology | Life Sciences

Publication Date

12-1-2018

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