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Technical University of Munich

New article published in "Neurobiology of Learning and Memory"

Acute cardiovascular exercise has proven to be a simple yet effective strategy for enhancing motor consolidation. However, these effects and their magnitude can be variable and influenced by numerous factors. While training parameters play a role, other factors may be differences among participants or motor task characteristics.
Figure: Associations between offline skill changes (ΔSkill 2–1) and cardiovascular fitness level (VO2peak). A) Correlation between offline skill changes and cardiovascular fitness level for the three groups B) Exercise groups split into fit and unfit individuals.

In this multicenter study, we investigated the effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on the consolidation of implicitly or explicitly learned motor sequences. Additionally, we explored whether participants' fitness levels had a moderating effect.

Our findings suggest that a single intense cardiovascular workout can either positively or negatively affect the consolidation of explicitly learned sequences, depending on the participant's fitness level.

This knowledge could be valuable in developing tailored recommendations for implementing cardiovascular training to support the long-term retention of newly acquired motor skills in various scenarios and population groups.

Cristini, J., Kraft, V. S., Heras, B. De, Rodrigues, L., & Parwanta, Z., Hermsdörfer, J., Steib, S. & Roig, M. (2023). Differential effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on explicit and implicit motor memory : The moderating effects of fitness level. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107846

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