Effect of aerobic exercise on cognition and brain activity following traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Following the Introduction, this thesis is organized into three parts. Part one (Chapter II), is an extensive literature review related to the scientific promise and potential physiological mechanisms underlying aerobic exercise as a potential intervention to improve cognition following TBI. This literature review was initially published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation 25(3):184-192, May/June 2010 by the author of this thesis.55 Parts two and three are two separate research reports written as Chapters III and IV. Each report was formatted for journal submission. The first study (Chapter III) reports cognitive changes in working memory, executive function, and the subject's (N=7) perceived function utilizing behavioral measures following participation in a 12-week aerobic exercise program. The second study (Chapter IV) reports findings of the cortical changes in TBI subjects (N=7) following participation in a 12-week aerobic exercise program. Functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) data was gathered on the subjects during a working memory task prior to and following exercise program participation. Regions of interest in the cortex included the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, and the precuneus.