Effects of Aquatic Motor Intervention on Verbal Working Memory and Brain Activity

Background: Aquatic motor intervention has been reported to affect motor and cognitive abilities. However, the neural mechanisms that may mediate the relation between aquatic motor intervention and cognitive changes have never been explored. The cerebellum hypothesis may support this positive relation. The traditional functions of the cerebellum mainly include involvement in the coordination of motor movements, and the maintenance of balance and posture. Recent studies have shown cerebellar activity during cognitive functions, such as verbal working memory.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an aquatic motor intervention on cognitive abilities and changes in brain activity compared to identical on-land motor and cognitive intervention.

Method: Twenty-four adults were randomly allocated to one month of daily Aquatic Motor Intervention, On-Land Motor Intervention or Non-Motor Intervention. We examined the effects of intervention on verbal working memory ability using the digit span task. Using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), we measured changes in alpha power following intervention.

Results: Our results demonstrate that the Aquatic Motor Intervention group significantly improved verbal working memory ability as compared to both On-Land Motor Intervention and Non-Motor Intervention groups. Moreover, improved verbal working memory was positively correlated with increased right cerebellar alpha power.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results support previous studies regarding the cerebellar region`s role in verbal working memory, and demonstrate that verbal working memory can be improved by aquatic whole-body intervention. These findings can improve the understanding regarding the relation between Aquatic Motor Intervention and cognitive abilities, and may contribute to improved intervention methods.