A recent study has revealed that brain endurance training (BET)—a combination of cognitive tasks and physical exercise—can significantly improve both cognitive and physical abilities in healthy older women. This intervention proved particularly beneficial in overcoming the effects of mental fatigue, outshining traditional physical exercise in certain areas. The findings were published in Psychology of Sport & Exercise on April 22, 2025.
As individuals age, they often experience declines in cognitive functions, including slower processing speeds and diminished working memory. While semantic memory may remain stable or even improve, other cognitive domains such as episodic memory can deteriorate. Furthermore, mental fatigue—resulting from prolonged cognitive activity—can exacerbate these declines and even hinder physical performance in older adults.
Jesús Díaz-García and his research team sought to determine if brain endurance training could offer more comprehensive benefits than physical exercise alone, especially regarding cognitive resilience in the face of mental fatigue. The study involved 24 women, aged 65 to 78, all living in a rural Spanish town and leading sedentary lifestyles.
The participants were divided into three groups: a brain endurance training group, a physical exercise-only group, and a control group. The brain endurance group completed 20 minutes of cognitive tasks, followed by 20 minutes of resistance exercises and 25 minutes of endurance exercise, three times per week for eight weeks. The physical exercise group followed the same exercise regimen but without cognitive tasks.
To assess improvements, participants underwent both physical and cognitive performance tests at the beginning, after four weeks, at the end of the eight-week training period, and again 12 weeks after training. These tests were conducted twice—once when the participants were fresh and once after inducing mental fatigue using a 30-minute incongruent Stroop test.
Results demonstrated that both exercise groups performed better than the control group in both physical and cognitive tasks. However, the brain endurance group showed greater resilience, particularly when fatigued. It outperformed the physical exercise group in mental fatigue conditions, highlighting the additional cognitive benefits of combining cognitive tasks with physical activity.
The researchers concluded that brain endurance training significantly enhances cognitive functions such as attention and executive function, alongside improvements in endurance and resistance exercise capabilities. Moreover, BET helped participants develop greater resilience to mental fatigue, which can otherwise undermine performance.
Despite the promising results, the study’s authors noted that the research was based on a small, specific group of sedentary older women, and the effects might differ for other demographics.
The full paper, titled “Brain Endurance Training Improves Sedentary Older Adults’ Cognitive and Physical Performance When Fresh and Fatigued,” was co-authored by Jesús Díaz-García, Tomás García-Calvo, and Christopher Ring.
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