The capacity for the maintenance of information (i.e., short-term storage) and their manipulation (conceptualized as working memory) is crucial for planning, learning and academic performance. These components of working memory are characterized by different developmental trajectories and sensitivities to external stimuli. This also applies to exercise and physical activity.  

Exercise scientists of the University of Basel (Switzerland) and Chukyo University (Japan) were invited by the editor of Trends in Cognitive Sciences to provide a conceptual model linking exercise and working memory during cognitive development. The proposed model builds on the idea of shared neural substrates as working memory seems to be supported by the motor system. This shared neural substrate may explain why exercise demanding complex motor skills shows specific and consistent benefits for working memory components with a protracted development. Endurance exercise at high intensity also elicits improvements in working memory, but these improvements are less specific and may operate via different pathways, such as changes in cerebral metabolism and the expression of growth hormones. The synthesis of the reviewed evidence further suggests that taking on a developmental perspective is crucial for understanding how different exercise types and paradigms facilitate working memory. The article is published online first:   

Ludyga, S., Gerber, M., & Kamijo, K. (2022). Exercise types and working memory components during development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences (IF:20.2). Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.12.004