Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Victoria, STN CSC, PO Box 1700, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
Faculty of Health, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 20;13(1):1140. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26093-2.
It is well known that exercise increases cognitive function. However, the environment in which the exercise is performed may be just as important as the exercise itself. Time spent in natural outdoor environments has been found to lead to increases in cognition similar to those resulting from acute exercise. Therefore, the benefits of both exercise and nature exposure suggest an additive impact on brain function when both factors are combined. This raises the question: what is the interaction between acute exercise and environment on cognition? We answered this question using electroencephalography to probe cognitive function using the oddball task before and after brief indoor and outdoor walks on 30 participants (average 21 years old, 95% CI [20, 22]). Our results demonstrate improved performance and an increase in the amplitude of the P300, an event-related neural response commonly associated with attention and working memory, following a 15-min walk outside; a result not seen following a 15-min walk inside. Importantly, this finding indicates that the environment may play a more substantial role in increasing cognitive function such as attention than exercise, at least in terms of acute exercise (i.e., a brief walk). With the world's growing urbanization and the associated increase in sedentary time indoors, a deeper understanding of how these factors interact and influence cognition may be critical to combat adverse health effects.
众所周知，运动能增强认知功能。然而，运动所处的环境可能和运动本身一样重要。研究发现，在自然户外环境中度过的时间可以提高认知能力，其效果类似于急性运动的效果。因此，运动和接触自然这两者带来的益处表明，当这两个因素结合起来时，会对大脑功能产生叠加影响。这就提出了一个问题：急性运动和环境对认知的相互作用是什么？我们通过对 30 名参与者（平均年龄 21 岁，95%置信区间[20, 22]）进行的电生理学研究，使用Oddball 任务来探测认知功能，在他们分别进行 15 分钟室内和室外散步前后回答了这个问题。我们的结果表明，在室外散步 15 分钟后，参与者的表现得到了改善，与注意力和工作记忆相关的事件相关神经反应 P300 的振幅也有所增加；而在室内散步 15 分钟后则没有出现这种情况。重要的是，这一发现表明，环境可能比运动更能显著增强认知功能，如注意力，至少就急性运动（即短暂散步）而言是这样。随着世界不断城市化以及随之而来的室内久坐时间增加，深入了解这些因素如何相互作用和影响认知，对于对抗不良健康影响可能至关重要。
