The Perception of Exercisers vs Non-Exercisers Using EEG Analysis

Abstract

Obesity rates and other chronic diseases continue to rise due to the lack of physical activity and exercise exerted by Americans annually. Although recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and other exercise science organizations have published numerous studies about how to keep up a healthy lifestyle, most Americans tend to not follow them. With this in mind, we wanted to know if there were any innate neurobiological differences between a population that exercises regularly and one that is sedentary. In order to evaluate this phenomenon, we used EEG analysis focusing on functional connectivity and graph theory when both groups evaluated images displaying both physically active and inactive behaviors. Our results show that exercisers and non-exercisers evaluate the concept of physical activity through very different neurocognitive mechanisms. These results have the potential to inform the way that agencies can distribute information in a more targeted fashion, hopefully reaching the broader population more effectively.