Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements, study finds

A new study has found passive exercise leads to increased cerebral blood flow and improved executive function (higher-order cognitive ability), without an increase in heart rate or diastolic blood pressure, providing the same cognitive benefits as active exercise.

During passive exercise, a person's limbs are moved and their muscle receptors are being stretched via an external force—in this case, cycle pedals pushed by a mechanically driven flywheel. That information is sent to the brain, indicating that more blood is needed in the moving areas of the body and in connected regions of the brain.

The potential impact for people with limited or no mobility could be profound. If done regularly, the increase in blood flow to the brain and resultant improvement in executive function will, optimistically, become a compounding effect that has a significant impact on cognitive health. Heath and team see great potential in using passive exercise in long-term care homes or in rehabilitation programs for people recovering from musculoskeletal injuries, who cannot perform weight bearing exercise.

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