Influence of physical activity on cognitive functions - Potential mechanisms and benefits

DWOJACZNY, Blanka & BEJTKA, Monika. Influence of physical activity on cognitive functions - Potential mechanisms and benefits. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2023;13(3):181--185. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2023.13.03.026 https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/42003 https://zenodo.org/record/7598905 The journal has had 40 points in Ministry of Education and Science of Poland parametric evaluation. Annex to the announcement of the Minister of Education and Science of December 21, 2021. No. 32343. Has a Journal's Unique Identifier: 201159. Scientific disciplines assigned: Physical Culture Sciences (Field of Medical sciences and health sciences); Health Sciences (Field of Medical Sciences and Health Sciences). Punkty Ministerialne z 2019 - aktualny rok 40 punktów. Załącznik do komunikatu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 21 grudnia 2021 r. Lp. 32343. Posiada Unikatowy Identyfikator Czasopisma: 201159. Przypisane dyscypliny naukowe: Nauki o kulturze fizycznej (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu); Nauki o zdrowiu (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu). © The Authors 2023; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 02.01.2023. Revised: 17.01.2023. Accepted: 02.02.2023. Influence of Physical Activity on Cognitive Functions - Potential Mechanisms and Benefits Blanka Dwojaczny 1, Monika Bejtka 1 1 Department of Human Physiology Nicolaus Copernicus University, Collegium Medicum Bydgoszcz, Poland. Blanka Dwojaczny: blanka.dwojaczny@cm.umk.pl ORCID: 0000-0002-2253-1502 Monika Bejtka: monika.bejtka@cm.umk.pl ORCID: 0000-0002-2240-4896 Abstract. Background and Study Aim. The positive impact of physical activity on the proper functioning of the musculoskeletal, respiratory and circulatory system has been demonstrated and confirmed by numerous studies. The results of many research indicate that systematic physical activity has also positive effect on functions of the central nervous system. For example, improvement of the cognitive functions level, such as memory and learning, under the influence of systematic physical training has been demonstrated. The positive effect of physical activity on the central nervous system is especially visible and widely described with regard to elderly people, who develop many adverse remodeling changes in the structure of the brain. Physical activity seems to be a useful tool that may help in limiting and reducing the effects of those changes. However, particularly interesting are the studies which show that also among young people (learning youth, university students), a positive effect of physical activity on cognitive processes is observed. Currently, several hypotheses are proposed, presenting potential mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical activity on the central nervous system. The first hypothesis assumes the beneficial effect of physical activity on the expression of hippocampal genes related to synaptic plasticity. The second hypothesis assumes that physical effort per se is an inducer of the secretion of the growth factors (e.g., BDNF, IGF-1), which have a trophic effect on the nervous system. In addition, the results of the latest scientific studies indicate that the positive effect of physical activity on the central nervous system may be due to the action of phospholipase (Gpld-1), released to the bloodstream from the liver under the influence of physical exercise. The aim of this work is to describe the positive impact of physical activity on the central nervous system. This work indicates that due to the influence on cognitive functions, physical activity is absolutely essential to both elderly and young people population. In addition, this paper describes potential mechanisms related to the impact of physical activity on the central nervous system. Conclusions. The results of many modern studies have confirmed and proven the observations of the beneficial effect of physical exercise on central nervous study, including the cognitive functions. It seems necessary to educate both young and elderly people that the proper level of physical activity is a key factor allowing to maintain both physical and mental health at an appropriate, desirable level. Keywords: young people, physical activity, cognitive function, learning, neurogenesi