It’s the in-vogue form of exercising, and now another study suggests it has benefits over and above the everyday activities of jogging, swimming or cycling. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is characterised by periods of intense physical exercise, interposed with short periods of relaxation.
A new study explored the long-term effects of HIIT on learning and memory in healthy, elderly people.
194 participants aged 65 to 85 were randomly put into three groups based on exercise intensity: low-intensity training (LIT), medium-intensity training (MIT), and HIIT.
Over six months, each group attended 72 supervised exercise sessions. Cognitive testing was conducted monthly, focusing on hippocampal function (the part of the brain that manages memories and keeps people from forgetting them) and MRI scans were taken at several time points to measure brain volume and connectivity. Blood samples were also collected to analyse biomarkers associated with brain health.
Results showed that only the HIIT group experienced significant improvements in hippocampal-dependent cognition and that these persisted for years. It wasn’t that low and medium levels of physical exercise were bad for you. They helped to maintain cognitive function, and of course they’d also have flow-on benefits such as heart disease and cancer prevention.
But it was only the HIIT users who saw an improvement in their hippocampal function. MRI data revealed that HIIT halted age-related brain volume loss, particularly in the hippocampus, and enhanced functional connectivity between neural networks. HIIT also correlated with beneficial changes in biomarkers linked to improved cognitive function.
The study underscores the importance of exercise intensity in cognitive health, suggesting that HIIT can protect against hippocampal decline in ageing. It also identified potential biomarkers, like BDNF and cortisol, which could help tailor exercise programs for cognitive improvement.
These findings offer a promising non-invasive strategy to counter cognitive decline, suggesting the long-term benefits of high-intensity exercise.
Further information
Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training: National Center for Biotechnology Information
