The Advantage of Neuromotor Exercise for Brain and Body Health

How Does Neuromotor Exercise Enhance Cognitive and Physical Health?

Neuromotor (or “neuro-motor”) exercise refers to physical activities that require both movement and mental engagement. These exercises go beyond conventional workouts by challenging coordination, balance, agility, and cognitive demands. They can simultaneously demand involvement from the brain and body, making them especially valuable for promoting brain health across the lifespan. Examples of neuromotor exercises include dance, yoga, tai chi, sports such as pickleball or table tennis, and interactive technologies like exergaming (videogames that require active movement).

A defining feature of neuromotor exercise is dual-tasking—the ability and requirement to perform a physical and cognitive task at the same time. For instance, recalling a dance sequence, maintaining postural alignment in yoga while focusing on breath control, or responding to virtual stimuli in an exergame all require cognitive resources while in motion. These types of activities engage brain regions involved in attention, memory, executive function, and sensorimotor integration. As such, neuromotor exercises can be an effective and enjoyable way to enhance cognitive performance while maintaining physical function.

Open vs. Closed Skill Exercise

Neuromotor activities are typically classified into open or closed skill categories, based on the level of environmental predictability and cognitive demand:

• Open skill exercises occur in dynamic, unpredictable environments that require constant adaptation to external stimuli. Examples include sports (e.g., ball or racquet sports), exergaming, or dance. These activities often require quick decision-making, attentional shifts, and fast motor responses, making them particularly effective for enhancing executive function and processing speed.
• Closed skill exercises, by contrast, take place in stable, predictable environments with repetitive and structured movement patterns. Examples include yoga, tai chi, and choreographed dance routines. This can also include exercise machines. These exercises support cognitive benefits through sustained attention, motor control, and internal focus. Although generally less reactive than open skill activities, they still offer significant cognitive benefits, especially when layered with memorization, mindful awareness, or sequencing.

It’s important to note that all neuromotor exercises, whether open or closed skill, can be designed to include dual-task components. By integrating cognitive tasks such as counting, sequencing, problem-solving, or memory recall into physical movement, practitioners can increase cognitive load and enhance training outcomes.

Cognitive Benefits of Neuromotor Exercise

Growing evidence from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews suggests that neuromotor and open-skill activities are associated with a broad range of cognitive benefits, particularly for older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). These benefits include:

• Improvement in global cognition, encompassing general thinking ability and mental performance across domains.
• Enhanced executive function, including planning, inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.
• Improved attention, with gains in both sustained and selective attention capacities.
• Stronger short-term and working memory, essential for daily activities and learning new skills.
• Improved verbal fluency, including word retrieval and communication efficiency.
• Increased visuospatial function, aiding in tasks such as navigation, object location, and movement through space.
• Structural brain changes, such as increases in hippocampal volume and gray matter density.

These cognitive gains have been observed across multiple neuromotor modalities:

• Mind-body practices such as tai chi and yoga have shown moderate improvements in cognitive flexibility, learning, and memory, particularly when performed at moderate intensity for 60–120 minutes per week.
• Dance interventions have been linked to improved attention, memory recall (both immediate and delayed), and visuospatial ability. Dance is also associated with neuroplastic adaptations in older adults, including structural changes in the hippocampus.
• Open skill activities, including exergaming and team sports, may yield greater improvements in executive functioning and brain speed compared to closed skill exercises due to their unpredictable and decision-heavy nature.
• Exergaming, which combines interactive cognitive challenges with physical movement (such as the Nintendo Wii or Dance Dance Revolution, or the more modern Nintendo Switch Sports, Virtual Reality Games, or older-adult specific exergames like LudoFit), has been shown to improve cognitive performance, including attention, inhibition, and processing speed, particularly in older adults. It also enhances motivation and adherence, making it a compelling tool for cognitive-motor training.

The American College of Sports Medicine, in its review of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines, concluded that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, including neuromotor and open skill activities, provides measurable improvements in executive function, visuospatial ability, episodic memory, and global cognition in adults over the age of 50, with the strongest effects noted in executive function and overall cognition.

These strategies are especially helpful for older adults and those experiencing early cognitive changes.

Practical Guidelines for Implementation

To effectively incorporate neuromotor exercise into a brain health program, individuals should aim for 2 to 4 sessions per week, with each session lasting 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the intensity and type of exercise. A moderate intensity level is generally optimal, especially for older adults or individuals with cognitive concerns. Activities should include progressive skill acquisition, cognitive variability, and a balance of open and closed skill types.

Additional considerations for implementation include:

• Safety and supervision in populations at risk for falls or cognitive decline.
• Variety in activity types to reduce monotony and target multiple cognitive domains.
• Enjoyment and engagement, which are crucial for adherence and long-term benefit.

Professionals delivering these programs, whether in clinical, community, or virtual settings, should tailor the exercise to the individual’s physical abilities, cognitive status, and personal preferences.

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Conclusion

Neuromotor exercise represents a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy for training cognitive function, physical performance, and overall well-being. Whether through dance, tai chi, sports, or exergaming, these brain-body activities offer an accessible and enjoyable path toward cognitive resilience. By integrating movement with mental stimulation, neuromotor training supports brain health in a way that is both functional and sustainable across the lifespan.

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References

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