Effect of Long Term Physical Exercise Training on Auditory and Visual Reaction Time

The present work was planned to determine long term physical exercise has any beneficial effect on central neural processing, by studying its effect on reaction time.

In present study 20 male and 20 female, young medical students practiced exercise (15 min sessions) for 3 months on alternate day basis. Outcome assessments of auditory reaction time (ART) and visual reaction time (VRT) were performed at baseline and after the 3 month of exercise training.

In both male & female, there was a statistically significant (P<.001) decrease in ART and VRT. Also ART and VRT values were more in females than in males both before and after physical exercise training. This probably attributed to the differences in processing strategy in males and females. This decrease in ART and VRT after exercise practices may be due to physiologically relaxed state but increased mental alertness, improved concentration, and/or increased CRH & cortisol secretion in response to a challenge.

RT is of applied value in situations requiring faster reactivity regarding serious safety concern such as in day today driving to avoid road traffic accidents, in sports for recommendation of safety limits, machine operations and in specialized surgery. So we suggest that the physical exercise is a lifestyle factor that might lead to increased physical and mental health and performance that can be used as an effective means of training people involving such tasks.