Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition

Current research is changing the notion that little can be done to deflect the inexorable damage done to the brain by the aging process. Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition shows that although many factors contribute to a healthy mind, an active lifestyle provides positive contributions to the cognitive functioning of the aging brain. Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition examines how physical activity can indirectly affect cognitive function by influencing mediators—such as sleep quality, nutrition, disease states, anxiety, and depression—that affect physical and mental resources for cognition. This volume also identifies and studies key sources of individual variations in exercise and cognitive processes. Seventeen internationally recognized experts in exercise, cognition, neurobiological processes, and aging provide a review of the state of knowledge and, where appropriate, provide practical applications of research findings. The book's review of research will update and expand current thinking on pertinent issues regarding the relationship between exercise and cognition. The research presented in Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition is organized within a general model that illustrates the interrelationships of exercise and physical activity and the mediators that enhance cognition. Each chapter begins with an overview of how the topic fits into the general model. Following each chapter, a summary provides not only the highlights of the chapter but also the consensus or controversies associated with the chapter topic. The first chapter outlines the exercise–cognition model developed by Spirduso, Poon, Chodzko-Zajko, and the text's contributors. Chapter 2 discusses exercise, mediators that affect physical and mental resources for cognition, and the combined relational effect on the cognitive process. Chapters 3 through 5 present research conducted on exercise and cognition in relation to depression, stress, and self-efficacy. Chapter 6 discusses cognitive energetics. Methodological problems of exercise and mental resources are presented in chapter 7; and diet, motor behavior, and cognition are discussed in chapter 8. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss the relationships between exercise, sleep, and cognition. The effects of exercise on cognition in cases of hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are presented in chapters 11 through 13. In the final chapter, the editors offer conclusions and future research directions. Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition is the second of a three-volume series in Human Kinetics' Aging, Exercise, and Cognition series, which presents advanced research and key issues for understanding and researching the links between exercise, aging, and cognition. In Exercise and Its Mediating Effects on Cognition , internationally known experts define current knowledge and future directions to address issues of active living, cognitive functioning, and aging. All three volumes are essential references for cognitive gerontologists, medical and health science researchers, exercise science researchers and professionals, and public health administrators interested in scientific evidence demonstrating the beneficial effects of regular physical activity on cognitive functioning and general health during the aging process.