Differential effects of assisted cycling therapy on short-term and working memory of adolescents with Down syndrome

ABSTRACT

Persons with Down syndrome (DS) suffer from prefrontal cortex dysfunction and deficits in executive functions. The current study examined the effects assisted cycling therapy (ACT) on short-term (STM) and working memory (WM) in adolescents with DS. During ACT, the cadence of participants on a stationary bicycle was augmented with an electrical motor to 180% of the voluntary cadence. Participants completed eight weeks of ACT (n = 17), eight weeks of voluntary cycling (VC) at their own preferred cadence (n = 16), or eight weeks of no cycling (np ≥ .149) and working memory improved only in the ACT group (Hedge’s g = 1.66; p = .003). The results indicate that assisted high-cadence cycling (i.e. ACT) produces superior neural benefits in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to VC.

KEYWORDS:

• Prefrontal cortex
• executive function
• aerobic exercise
• cortical activation
• neurotrophic factors

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant 5R03HD073652-02.