Passive exercise offers same brain health benefits as active movements: study 

Researchers test the effect of passive movement on brain function. (supplied photo) - A new study by kinesiology graduate students from Western has found passive exercise leads to increased cerebral blood flow and improved executive function, providing the same cognitive benefits as active exercise. Published in Psychophysiology , the study is the first to look at whether there would be benefits to brain health during passive exercise where a person's limbs are moved via an external force - in this case, cycle pedals pushed by a mechanically driven flywheel. During a 20-minute session with healthy young adults, the team assessed executive function at baseline, before participants exercised, and compared the data post exercise. They found an improvement in executive function of the same magnitude for both the passive and the active exercise conditions, without an increase in heart rate or diastolic blood pressure. Executive function is a higher-order cognitive ability that allows people to make plans and supports the activities of daily living. People who have mild cognitive impairments, such as people experiencing symptoms of early-stage Alzheimer's, can find their executive function negatively affected.