Physical Exercise

Introduction: The present study aimed to compare the effects of 3 school-based physical exercises with different levels of cognitive engagement on executive functions.  Materials and Methods: In total, 47 students aged 13-14 years were randomly divided into 3 groups, as follows: the Integrated Physical and Cognitive (IPC) exercise, peer physical exercise group (with the same physical challenge), and control group (the routine physical education program). A Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the N-back test, and the Stroop test were used to evaluate executive functions in pretest and posttest.  Results: The obtained results indicated that the IPC group significantly improved more than the other groups on the executive functions. Accordingly, physical exercise with a higher cognitive load benefitted both speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks significantly more than the same physical activity alone.  Conclusion: Therefore, in the integrated physical and cognitive exercise, the cognitive and physiological effects of this training style interact with each other; therefore, their beneficial effects can be gradually increased, while interventions that only focus on the physical dimension would be less effective in promoting cognitive functions.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation and physical exercise on locomotor movement skill of children with DCD. Materials and Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-posttest design with a control group. 80 boys aged 6-10 years (mean age: 8.68±1.2) were selected from primary school students in Shiraz using multi-stage cluster sampling method and were randomly divided into three experimental and control groups. Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ7), Raven Intelligence Test and Movement Assessment Buttery for Children (MABC-2) were used to screen children and the Ulrich Gross Motor Skills Development Test (TGMD-2) was used to assess locomotor movement skills. Experimental groups performed the interventions for 8 weeks, Paired t-test and analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the locomotor movement skill score in the groups of cognitive rehabilitation, physical exercise and combined intervention from the pre-test to post-test stages increased significantly (P<0.05). While in the control group no significant difference was observed (P>0.05). Conclusion: Concomitant use of cognitive rehabilitation-related interventions with physical exercise is more effective in improving locomotor movement skill in children with developmental coordination disorders.

The phenomena of fatigue of voluntary muscular effort is intricate and multidimensional in the field of sports sciences. The causes and effects of exercise-induced fatigue have been extensively studied, but the central nervous system's (CNS) involvement in this process is still unclear. In order to understand CNS fatigue after physical activity, the current review will examine changes in neurotransmitter function during exercise. Using primary sources such scientific journals and websites, a consensus and critical evaluation were carried out in order to accomplish this goal. For a number of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin (5-HT; 5-hydroxytryptamine), hypotheses have been established. The most well-known one is a rise in serotonin levels throughout the brain. Nutritional interventions intended to reduce brain serotonin synthesis during extended exercise enhance endurance performance, and there is strong evidence that increases and decreases in brain serotonin activity during prolonged exercise, respectively, accelerate and delay fatigue. There are several physiologically connected causes of fatigue. It is important to better understand how CNS effects affect fatigue in order to achieve maximum muscle performance in both daily life and athletics.