2. MENTAL HEALTH & COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Question 1

Quality of Life x Exercise:
Domains Most Influenced by Exercise

Answer 1

• physical
• independence
• psychological
• social
• environmental
• spiritual

> > important that individuals perceive positive changes in each domain

Question 2

Emotional Well Being

Answer 2

• experiencing positive moods and emotions
• reducing frequency, strength, and duration of negative moods
• learning to cope with negative moods and emotions
• particularly relevant (70% increase in neg emotions with onset of COVID)

Question 3

Emotion

Answer 3

• short lived
• immediate response to a stimulus
• examples: fear, guilt, pride

Question 4

Mood

Answer 4

• longer duration
• set of feelings; irritation, cheerfulness
• “mood states”

Question 5

Affect

Answer 5

• can still be temporary
• emotions and moods contribute to affect
• broader, more basic
• valenced (i.e good v bad, positive v negative)

Question 6

How does exercise impact affective states and mood?

Answer 6

• affect during exercise is different than affect before or after

– negative affect can occur during exercise; typcially stronger with high intensity exercise
– increases in positive affect from pre-exercise to post-exercise in acute exercise
– long term changes in mood for chronic exercise

Question 7

POMS

Answer 7

Profile of Mood States

• used to assess changes in mood over time with exercise interventions

assesses 6 mood dimensions:

1. Tension-Anxiety
2. Depression-Dejection
3. Anger-Hostility
4. Vigor-Activity
5. Fatigue-Inertia
6. Confusion-Bewilderment

Question 8

POMS x Iceberg Profile

Answer 8

The Iceberg Profile is a common pattern observed in high-performing athletes when their POMS scores are graphed. This profile is characterized by:
* Higher scores in Vigor (the peak of the “iceberg”)
* Lower scores in Tension, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, and Confusion (the submerged base of the iceberg)

This profile has been associated with optimal mental states for peak performance, as higher vigor and lower negative emotions contribute to better focus, motivation, and resilience.

Question 9

Research on Affect & Mood

Answer 9

• exercise increases positive moods and reduces negative moods
  (chronic and after exercise)
• moderate amounts of exercise can be energizing
  » positively valenced states (energy, vigor up)
  » negatively valenced states (fatigue, tension, down or unchanged)

Question 10

Stress, Anxiety, & Depression

Answer 10

–

Question 11

Stress

Answer 11

• process by which we perceive and respond to stressors
  » imbalance between demand and capability
  » perception of the threat and ability to cope
• active stressors
  » response influences the outcome
• passive stressors
  » your response does not change the threat

Question 12

Exercise & Stress

Answer 12

active or passive stressor?

how exercise induces stress:
- physiologically demanding situation
» perceived threat
» ability to cope

Question 13

How Exercise Reduces Stress

Answer 13

1. cross-stress adaptation hypothesis
2. distraction hypothesis

Question 14

Cross-stress Adaptation Hypothesis

Answer 14

exercise improves our ability to cope with other stressors

Question 15

Distraction Hypothesis

Answer 15

• can reduce longer bouts of stress by providing an ‘escape’
• viewed as a positive stressor

Question 16

Anxiety

Answer 16

• negative psychological and physiological state

Question 17

Anxiety; Psychological Symptoms

Answer 17

• nervousness
• worry
• fatigue
• apprehension
• arousal
• vigilance

Question 18

Anxiety; Physiological Symptoms

Answer 18

• heart palpitations
• sweating
• muscle weakness and tension
• fatigue
• nausea
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• headaches

Question 19

Exercise x Stress Reduction

Answer 19

• yoga linked to reduced stress and anxiety
• moderate aerobic activity beneficial for reduced stress and anxiety (repetitive movements)
• intense activity can have an acute negative effect in short term

Question 20

Depression

Answer 20

research focuses primarily on exercise and depressive symptoms

findings:
- more physically active people show fewer depressive symptoms
- longitudinal studies - can better show causality
- cross sectional studies - problems with direction of effect

Question 21

Mechanisms for Depressive Symptom Prevention/Treatment

Answer 21

1. endorphin release
   - affective changes due to exercise
2. mastery hypothesis
   - satisfaction of completing a task
   - seeing improvement
3. opportunity for social interaction
   - reduces isolation
   - improved social support

Question 22

Depression & Physical Activity/Exercise

Answer 22

• more physically active people show fewer depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress
• promotion of physical activity leads to positive mental health effects

Question 23

Figure 2: Mental Health Burden as Function of Exercise Duration

Answer 23

sweetspots:

• 45 min per session
• 12-16-20 per month

Question 24

When is Exercise Detrimental

Answer 24

• overtraining –> results in negative moods
• exercise dependence –> primary & secondary

Question 25

Exercise Dependence: Primary

Answer 25

- exercise is an end to itself - focus is on improving exercise performance and/or needing to continue to exercise to achieve positive moods/emotions

Question 26

Exercise Dependence: Secondary

Answer 26

- exercise is used specifically to change body composition - type of purging

Question 27

Exercise Dependence: Tolerance

Answer 27

need to increase amount to keep desired effects

Question 28

Exercise Dependence: Withdrawal

Answer 28

- symptoms when exercise is missed - exercise releives symptoms

Question 29

Exercise Dependence: Intention Effects

Answer 29

lasts longer than intended

Question 30

Exercise Dependence: Loss of Control

Answer 30

wanting to cut back and cannot

Question 31

Exercise Dependence: Time

Answer 31

organize other aspects of life around exercise

Question 32

Exercise Dependence: Conflict

Answer 32

giving up other important activities

Question 33

Exercise Dependence: Continuance

Answer 33

Maintained despite knowledge that it is problematic

Question 34

How do exercisers become dependent?

Answer 34

1. affect regulation hypothesis 2. endorphin hypothesis

Question 35

Affect Regulation Hypothesis

Answer 35

- negative exerciser: to reduce stress, anxiety - positive exerciser: to improve mood - habitual exercisers can experience mood disturbances if exercisers stop

Question 36

Endorphin Hypothesis

Answer 36

exercisers can become dependent on the chemical itself

Question 37

Cognitive Function

Answer 37

process whereby an individual is able to perceive, recognize, or understand thoughts and ideas - learning and evaluation - organizing and planning - problem solving - recognition and memory - reaction time

Question 38

Executive Control Processes

Answer 38

cognitive functions that are oriented toward goal-directed behavior - working memory - interference control; dealing with distraction - task coordination - multi-tasking

Question 39

Why is it important?

Answer 39

Higher fitness levels can slow our cognitive decline

Question 40

How do we assess cognitive function?

Answer 40

- neuroimaging techniques - behavioral tests - pre & post (exercise program / acute exercise bout)

Question 41

Cognitive Tests

Answer 41

- Working Memory - Episodic Memory - Process Distractions/Interference - Selective Attention - Forward Planning - Response Inhibition

Question 41

Cognitive Tests: Working Memory

Answer 41

TEST: n-back test - important exec control function - short-term storage & recall of events

Question 42

Cognitive Tests: Episodic Memory

Answer 42

TEST: shown images/words in a sequence, have to reproduce in given amount of time

Question 43

Cognitive Tests: Process Distractions/Interference

Answer 43

TEST: Flanker Test (3 types stimuli: congruent, incongruent, neutral) - executive control - activates anterior cortex, responsible for several functions including processing stimuli

Question 44

Cognitive Test: Selective Attention

Answer 44

TEST: Stroop Test (Stroop Effect) (say names of colors you see, not the color you read) - also an active stressor

Question 45

Cognitive Test: Forward Planning

Answer 45

TEST: Porteus maze test (cannot lift pen off paper, cannot backtrack, one continuous line) - planning, capacity, foresight

Question 46

Cognitive Test: Response Inhibition

Answer 46

TEST: Simon Says - voluntary control of response, supressing response after a stimulus

Question 47

What do these tests tell us?

Answer 47

- normative data - examine changes in conjunction with specific types of exercise - most research conducted with moderate aerobic activity

Question 48

Impact of Exercise: Chronic (regular)

Answer 48

may result in improvements in cognitive fucntion and even reverse some of the loss of function seen with aging

Question 49

Impact of Exercise: Acute (single bouts of activity)

Answer 49

- when accumulated over several months, may have profound positive effect on cognitive processing - more effects for moderate activity vs intense

Question 50

Cognitive Function: Challenges Examining During Exercise

Answer 50

difficult to examine cognitive function during exercise - can look at blood flow, brain activity - not many behavioral tests

Question 51

Cognitive Function: Findings During Exercise

Answer 51

- reaction time becomes faster - response inhibition worsens

Question 52

Cognitive Function: Intervention Studies | (manipulation of individual's physical activity)

Answer 52

results suggest aerobic fitness training significantly influences cognitive function - cognitive tasks involving executive control processes - aerobic training plus strength training and flexibility training - more than 30 min per exercise session

Question 53

Cognitive Function: Mechanisms

Answer 53

1. Cardiovascular Fitness Hypothesis 2. Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis 3. Selective Inprovement Hypothesis

Question 54

Cardiovascular Fitness Hypothesis

Answer 54

improved cognitive function is a direct result of improved cardiovascular fitness

Question 55

Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis

Answer 55

- people can have varying amounts of brain 'reserve' - physical activity improve brain and cognitive reserves (i.e. enlarged brain volume, more gray/white matter, improved circulation)

Question 56

Selective Improvement Hypothesis

Answer 56

- benefits of activity vary depending on specific cognitive fucntion - exercise believed to have greatest impact on front lobe (exec control)