Enhancing Cognitive Processing Speed Through Two-Handed Sword Training in Thai Healthy University Students: A Pre-Experimental Study
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Cognitive skills are one of the significant functions of being a healthy person. There are several approaches to improving human cognitive skills, including regular exercise. This pre-experimental research aimed to compare the two-handed sword training program on cognitive processing speed in healthy colleague students before training, during the 4th week, and after the 8th week of training.
Methods: Thirty-four healthy students (25 males and nine females) were chosen through systematic random sampling. The sample group performed a two-handed sword training program for eight weeks, three days a week. During the experiment, the researchers assessed the level of perceived exertion and took heart rate measurements after every training session. Data were collected by the simple reaction time test, which was employed to evaluate cognitive processing speed measured before, after four weeks, and after eight weeks by a computerized cognitive test battery. The descriptive statistics were analyzed by percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The inferential statistics were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures and the Friedman test. The significance level was set at 0.05.
Results: The comparison of cognitive processing speed before training and after the 8th week, specifically the response time in the choice reaction time test, showed a statistically significant decrease. The choice reaction time test also showed a statistically significant decrease in response time and accuracy rate when comparing the 4th and 8th weeks. The variation in cognitive processing speed after eight weeks of training showed a statistically significant difference in response time in the simple reaction time test. The choice reaction time test also showed a statistically significant difference in response time and accuracy rate.
Conclusion: The two-handed sword training improved cognitive processing speed, particularly in reaction time tests, but had no significant impact on other cognitive abilities, emphasizing the role of motor-based training in reaction-based decision-making.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
JHSAM publishes all articles in full open access, meaning unlimited use and reuse of articles with appropriate credit to the authors.
All our articles are published under a Creative Commons "CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0". License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
provided that the original work is properly cited and is used for noncommercial purposes.
References
Draeger DF, Smith R. Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Kodansha USA; 1981.
Pickford J. Two-hand sword and two-handed sword. Notes and Queries. 1887;7th Series, III (60):156.
Lee T, Swinnen SP, Serrien D. Cognitive effort and motor learning. Quest. 1994;46(3):328–344. doi: 10.1080/00336297.1994.10484130.
Kadri A, Slimani M, Bragazzi NL, Tod D, Azaiez F. Effect of taekwondo practice on cognitive function in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019;16(2):204. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16020204.
Vazou S, Pesce C, Lakes K, Smiley-Oyen A. More than one road leads to Rome: A narrative review and meta-analysis of physical activity intervention effects on cognition in youth. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 2019;17(2):153–178. doi: 10.1080/1612197X.2016.1223423.
Nęcka E, Gruszka A, Hampshire A, Sarzyńska-Wawer J, Anicai AE, Orzechowski J, et al. The effects of working memory training on brain activity. Brain Sciences. 2021;11(2):155. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11020155. PMID: 33503877; PMCID: PMC7911688.
Halperin JM, Marks DJ, Chacko A, Bedard AC, O'Neill S, Curchack-Lichtin J, et al. Training executive, attention, and motor skills (TEAMS): a preliminary randomized clinical trial of preschool youth with ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2020;48(3):375–389. doi: 10.1007/s10802-019-00610-w.
Ávila-Gámiz F, Pérez-Cano AM, Pérez-Berlanga JM, Mullor-Vigo RM, Zambrana-Infantes EN, Santín LJ, et al. Sequential treadmill exercise and cognitive training synergistically increase adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Physiology & Behavior. 2023;266:114184. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114184. Epub 2023 Apr 6. PMID: 37030425.
Kaagman DGM, van Wegen EEH, Cignetti N, Rothermel E, Vanbellingen T, Hirsch MA. Effects and mechanisms of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and clinical outcomes in people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Sciences. 2024;14(3):194. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14030194. PMID: 38539583; PMCID: PMC10968162.
Kleim J, Vij K, Ballard DH, Greenough WT. Learning-dependent synaptic modifications in the cerebellar cortex of the adult rat persist for at least four weeks. The Journal of Neuroscience. 1997;17(2):717–21. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.17-02-00717.1997.
Nemet D, Ben-Zaken S, Eliakim A. The effect of methylphenidate on the dopamine and growth hormone response to exercise in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Growth Hormone and IGF Research. 2024;76:101596. doi: 10.1016/j.ghir.2024.101596.
Shapiro F. EMDR as an integrative psychotherapy approach: experts of diverse orientations explore the paradigm prism. American Psychological Association; 2002. p. 3–26. doi: 10.1037/10512-001.
Cho SY, Kim YI, Roh HT. Effects of taekwondo intervention on cognitive function and academic self-efficacy in children. Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2017;29(4):713–715. doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.713.
Cerrillo-Urbina AJ, García-Hermoso A, Sánchez-López M, Pardo-Guijarro MJ, Santos Gómez JL, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. The effects of physical exercise in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials. Care, Health and Development. 2015;41(6):779–788. doi: 10.1111/cch.12255.
Jaekel J. The role of physical activity and fitness for children’s wellbeing and academic achievement. Pediatr Res. 2024;96:1550–1551. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-02775-x.
Yongtawee A, Pitaksethiarakun C, Noikhammuang T, Sukdee N. Sport intelligence: the role of cognitive abilities in sports success among Thai youth athletes. Bangkok: Department of Physical Education, Ministry of Tourism and Sports; 2020.
Amini Vishteh RA, Mirzajani A, Jafarzadehpour E, Darvishpour S. Evaluation of simple visual reaction time to different colored light stimuli in visually normal students. Clinical Optometry (Auckland). 2019;11:167–171. doi: 10.2147/OPTO.S236328.
Salkar P, Dave J, Deo M. Correlation between simple visual and auditory reaction time with falls efficacy in community dwelling older adults. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts. 2023 Jun;11(6):1034-1039. doi: 10.5530/ijmedph.2.2.8.
Prien A, Junge A, Brugger P, Straumann D, Feddermann-Demont N. Neurocognitive performance of 425 top-level football players: sport-specific norm values and implications. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 2018;34(4):575–584. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acy056.
Adami R, Pagano J, Colombo M, Platonova N, Recchia D, Chiaramonte R, et al. Reduction of movement in neurological diseases: effects on neural stem cell characteristics. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2018;12:336. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00336.
Guure CB, Ibrahim NA, Adam MB, Said SM. Impact of physical activity on cognitive decline, dementia, and its subtypes: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. BioMed Research International. 2017;2017:9016924. doi: 10.1155/2017/9016924.
Basso JC, Oberlin DJ, Satyal MK, O'Brien CE, Crosta C, Psaras Z, et al. Examining the effect of increased aerobic exercise in moderately fit adults on psychological state and cognitive function. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2022;16:833149. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.833149.
Basso JC, Suzuki WA. The effects of acute exercise on mood, cognition, neurophysiology, and neurochemical pathways. Brain Plasticity. 2017;2(2):127–152. doi: 10.3233/BPL-160040.
Kroneisen M, Erdfelder E, Groß RM, Janczyk M. Survival processing occupies the central bottleneck of cognitive processing: a psychological refractory period analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 2024;31(1):274–282. doi: 10.3758/s13423-023-02340-z.
Ohtani T, Matsuo K, Sutoh C, Oshima F, Hirano Y, Wakabayashi A, et al. Reduced brain activation in response to social cognition tasks in autism spectrum disorder with and without depression. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2021;17:3015–3024. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S327608.
Gormley J, Fager SK. Preference and visual cognitive processing demands of alphabetic and QWERTY keyboards of individuals with and without brain injury. Assistive Technology. 2022;34(3):341–351. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2020.1826006.
