New Delhi: Performing light-intensity exercises for a short duration was found to have improved the blood flow to children's cerebrum, known to help with cognition, according to a recent study.
The study by Japan's Waseda University enrolled 41 healthy children from fifth-grade elementary to third-year junior high school students to find out how short-term, light-intensity exercises affected the blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, located in the cerebrum and known to handle cognitive functions.
Researchers focused on exercises that can easily be performed on the spot without special equipment, such as stretching. Most of the exercises were performed while seated, with movements lasting 10 to 20 seconds.
The team used an imaging technique -- functional near-infrared spectroscopy -- to measure changes in blood flow to the brain by looking at concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin (that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues) while at rest and during the exercise.
According to the findings published in the Scientific Reports journal, the researchers found a significant increase in oxyhaemoglobin levels in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex during all forms of exercise compared to the resting state.
"By combining the types of exercise that easily increase blood flow in the prefrontal cortex identified in this study, it is possible to develop an exercise program that everyone can easily engage in to improve children's executive functions. It may also be used in the future to prevent cognitive decline in adults and the elderly," said Takashi Naito, one of the authors and a doctoral student at Waseda University.