Effect of aerobic exercise on cognition in younger adults: a randomized clinical trial

Objective: To determine efficacy of aerobic exercise for cognitive function in younger healthy adults. Methods: In a randomized, parallel-group, observer-masked, community-based clinical trial, 132 cognitively normal individuals aged 20-67 with below median aerobic capacity were randomly assigned to one of two 6-month, four-times-weekly conditions: aerobic exercise and stretching/toning. Efficacy measures included: aerobic capacity; cognitive function in six domains (executive function, episodic memory, processing speed, language, and attention), everyday function, BMI and cortical thickness. Results: Aerobic capacity increased significantly (β=2.718; p=0.003), and BMI decreased significantly (β=-0.596; p=0.013) in the aerobic exercise but not in the stretching/toning condition. Executive function improved significantly in the aerobic exercise condition; this effect was moderated by age (β=0.018 s.d. per year; p=0.028). At age 40 the executive function measure increased by 0.228 s.d. (9...