School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
BMC Geriatr. 2020 Jul 2;20(1):229. doi: 10.1186/s12877-020-01620-w.
Physical activity can be classified as open-skilled or closed-skilled. Open-skilled physical activity, such as tennis, require participants to perform within a dynamic setting and respond to unpredictable and frequent environmental changes throughout the activity. Closed-skilled types of physical activity, such as swimming, are predictable and self-directed. However, the benefits of cognitive function in these two types of physical activities to older adults are unknown. This study examined the effects of participation in open- and closed-skilled physical activity on the cognitive function of older adults.
The study recruited a total of 61 participants aged 65 years and over. Participant recruitment was achieved by distributing flyers asking for volunteers in various sports venues. Participants self-reported to be without medical conditions affecting their physical and cognitive function. All participants underwent a two-hour assessment session involving the completion of seven standardised cognitive function assessments, which were used to assess a range of cognitive function.
Overall mean scores across all of the assessments showed superior performance for the open- or closed-skilled participants when compared with the no-physical-activity group. The results of 61 adults who participated in this study showed that closed-skilled physical activity was associated with better selective attention and visuospatial function while open-skilled physical activity was associated with better inhibition and cognitive flexibility function. No significant difference in self-regulation ability was found between the open- or closed-skilled groups.
Open-skilled physical activity was associated with better inhibition, visual tracking, and cognitive flexibility while closed-skilled physical activity was associated with better selective attention and visuospatial perception. The findings have important practical implications for the health and quality of life of ageing populations, knowing which particular types of physical activity might affect the cognitive function.
身体活动可以分为开放式技能活动和封闭式技能活动。开放式技能活动，如网球，需要参与者在动态环境中进行活动，并在整个活动过程中对不可预测和频繁的环境变化做出反应。封闭式技能活动，如游泳，是可预测和自我指导的。然而，这两种类型的身体活动对老年人认知功能的益处尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨参与开放式和封闭式技能活动对老年人认知功能的影响。
该研究共招募了 61 名年龄在 65 岁及以上的参与者。通过在各种体育场馆发放传单招募志愿者来招募参与者。参与者自我报告没有影响他们身体和认知功能的医疗状况。所有参与者都参加了一个两小时的评估环节，包括完成七项标准化认知功能评估，用于评估一系列认知功能。
与无身体活动组相比，所有评估的总体平均分数显示开放式或封闭式技能参与者表现更好。本研究的 61 名成年人的结果表明，封闭式技能活动与更好的选择性注意力和视空间功能相关，而开放式技能活动与更好的抑制和认知灵活性功能相关。在自我调节能力方面，开放式或封闭式技能组之间没有发现显著差异。
开放式技能活动与更好的抑制、视觉跟踪和认知灵活性相关，而封闭式技能活动与更好的选择性注意力和视空间感知相关。这些发现对老龄化人口的健康和生活质量具有重要的实际意义，因为了解哪些特定类型的身体活动可能会影响认知功能。
