The Effects of High-Intensity Acute Exercise on Face-Name Memory in Healthy Young Adults

The majority of previous research evaluating the effects of acute exercise on episodic memory function have focused on explicit memory tasks involving word-list paradigms. For a more real-world application, the present experiment evaluates whether high-intensity acute exercise can improve episodic memory function of incidentally processed information as well as increase one’s ability to remember names associated with faces (face-name paradigm). A two-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled intervention was employed. Participants (N = 91; Mage = 20 years) were randomized into one of two groups, including an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group exercised for 20 min on a treadmill at a high-intensity (75% of heart rate reserve), while the control group engaged in a seated, time-matched task. Explicit memory was assessed from an intentional processing face-name paradigm in which participants encoded and subsequently recalled names that were paired with faces. Episodic memory for incidentally processed information was evaluated with a computerized program involving spatial–temporal integration. The mean (SD) number of correctly recalled face-name pairs between the exercise and control groups, respectively, for immediate memory were 11.16 (4.4) and 9.79 (4.3), P > 0.05. Results were similar for incidentally processed information, in that there were no differences between the exercise [7.30 (1.7)] and control [7.52 (1.9)] groups, P > 0.05. Overall, we did not observe evidence that high-intensity acute exercise improves episodic memory for incidentally or intentionally processed information.