Aerobic Exercise Improves Working Memory in Internet-Addicted Students

A regular practice of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise significantly improves working memory in university students suffering from internet addiction. This improvement is evidenced by a notable increase in performance on demanding cognitive tasks, as shown by the results of a twelve-week intervention.

The participants, male students with moderate internet addiction, were divided into two groups. The first group followed a stationary bike program with three 40-minute sessions per week, while the second group maintained their usual lifestyle. Working memory tests, conducted three times, revealed clear progress in the active group. After six weeks, performance on a complex memorization task already showed significant improvement, and after twelve weeks, the results were even better, both for simple and more demanding tasks.

Analysis of brain signals shed light on the underlying mechanisms of this improvement. Alpha waves, associated with the brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant information, showed increased energy in the early stages of information processing. Similarly, theta waves, linked to the ability to maintain and manipulate information in memory, demonstrated increased energy in later stages, particularly for the most complex tasks. These changes indicate that aerobic exercise strengthens both inhibitory control and temporary storage capacity, two essential aspects of working memory.

These results demonstrate that physical exercise, in addition to its known health benefits, can play a key role in improving cognitive functions in specific populations. The students affected by this addiction thus see their ability to manage temporary information improve progressively and measurably, offering a non-drug, accessible solution to counteract the negative effects of excessive internet use.

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Report Source

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53420-8

Title: A longitudinal study on the effect of aerobic exercise intervention on working memory of college students with internet addiction

Journal: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Yi Wang; Jianping Hu; Chengze Liu