The study found that neither minimal nor hyperphysical activity significantly affects cognitive functions in physical therapy students, and physical activity was not responsible for improvement in cognitive tasks within this population.
Attention performance did not differ significantly between minimally active and hyperactive physical therapy students.
Working memory accuracy did not differ significantly between the two activity groups in consistent or varied conditions.
Working memory response times did not differ significantly between minimally active and hyperactive students.
No significant relationship was observed between cognitive function and physical activity.
The authors concluded that physical activity level was not responsible for differences in cognitive task performance in this population.
The study used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample and specific eligibility criteria.
This study compared the attention and working memory of 99 young physical therapy students in Saudi Arabia. Of these, 42 were minimally active and 57 were highly active, based on a standard physical activity questionnaire. Students completed computer-based tests of attention (the Flanker task) and memory automaticity, which looked at both accuracy and response speed. The researchers found no significant differences between the two groups on any cognitive measure, and no significant relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance. One working memory accuracy measure came close to a difference (P = .06), but it did not reach the usual cutoff for significance. This research suggests that, among healthy young students in this group, being highly active was not linked to better attention or working memory than being minimally active. The study was cross-sectional with a convenience sample from one university, and all participants were physical therapy students, so the results may not apply to other groups. The authors note that physical activity may still benefit cognition at other life stages, and they call for more research.
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Upload Your LabsAl Mutairi A, Al-Ramadan M, Abo Qarin M, Al-Abbas M, Al Qahtani N, Al Maghraby M, et al.. (2026). Determining the cognitive function differences between different types of physically active students: Cross-sectional analysis.. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000051091