The Nervous System as a Pathway for Exercise to Improve Social Cognition

Sebastian Ludyga, Toru Ishihara, Keita Kamijo, Sebastian Ludyga, Toru Ishihara, Keita Kamijo

Abstract

Specific nervous system functions and the regulating roles of oxytocin have evolved because of the necessity to negotiate increasingly complex social systems. We hypothesize that acute and long-term physical activity and exercise have the potential to benefit social cognitive abilities, such as emotion recognition and regulation, by operating on these functions.

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proposed pathways by which physical activity and exercise promote social cognition. Acute and regular engagement in these interventions may promote social cognition by a facilitation of both shared and distinct pathways to social cognition. Whereas both paradigms seem to promote central nervous system functions, different effects are suggested for the neuropeptide oxytocin and the autonomous nervous system function. Notes: Based on the current evidence, the squares indicate which physical activity and exercise paradigm has been associated with the mechanism and outcome.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Main regions and networks that contribute to social cognition based on the Social Brain Network Model and the Hierarchical Model of Social Cognition, as well as overlapping regions with the Executive Function (EF) Network. Notes: The regions highlighted in both models are main contributors to the networks and clusters based on the original description of the models (23,24), meaning that not necessarily all contributing regions (or parts of regions) are shown. The regions highlighted in EF Network are those that overlap between the Hierarchical Model of Social Cognition and the EF Network (25). Brain images were created with the Scalable Brain Atlas (available from https://scalablebrainatlas.incf.org).

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