Neuropsychological Effects of Nutrition and the Interactive Physical and Cognitive Exercise System (iPACES) on College Students

Nutrition and exercise are two main components of an individual’s health. Research shows that regular exercise and an increase in protein intake positively affects one’s health in terms of muscular strength, cardiovascular health, and body composition (Arciero et al., 2016). Further research concerning the benefits of exercise has shown that exergaming, a form of exercise that requires one to exercise while playing a virtual memory game, is associated with improved cognition (Anderson-Hanley et al., 2018). Also, nutrition affects cognitive functioning in studies that assessed the cognitive benefits of a mediterranean diet in older adults (Loughrey et al., 2018). Therefore, this study aims to further explore the effects that both nutrition and exergaming has on cognition in college students. This will be done through the use of an iPad-based interactive Physical and Cognitive Exercise System (iPACES), which includes a stationary elliptical and a virtual biking game that is controlled by pedaling. Participants will be given a survey concerning the nutritional intake for that day and several neuropsychological assessments (Stroops, Trails) before and after a 2o min bout of exercise. Data will then be collected and analyzed concerning the relationship between their nutritional intake, and change in performance on the neuropsychological assessments.