The Effect of Jogging on Dual-Task Performance of Nervous System, Equilibrium Control, and Cognitive Reaction

Abstract

Background: The effects of exercise and physical activity on dual-task performance have attracted many researchers’ attention in the last decade due to the vulnerable nature of the industrialized life style. The aim of this work was to study the effect of physical exercise on dual-task performance of young healthy individuals in which the dual-task scenario is defined as balance control and reaction to external stimulation.

Methods: To do this, experimental tests were performed on one hundred people using a simultaneous measurement of the equilibrium and reaction time. Participants in this study were men with an average age of 24 ± 5 years and an average weight of 73 ± 5 kg. The performed tests included a single-task balance control test, a single-task response test, and a dual-task balance and reaction time test before and after five minutes of jogging.

Results: In this research, indicators were introduced for assessing the function of the nervous system in the single- and dual-task conditions. Comparison of the performance of motor control of the brain in single and dual activity showed that the performance of motor control in dual task balance was reduced by an average of 19%. On the other hand, the reaction time of the nervous system in dual-task mode increased by about 15% relative to the single mode.

Conclusion: By comparing the results before and after exercise, we conclude that for most of the test subjects, the impact of an action changes the performance of dual activity to the extent that exercise can improve balance and at the same time increase reaction time. But despite this improvement, the accuracy of people is often reduced.