Papel del ejercicio fisico en el funcionamiento neurocognitivo de estudiantes universitarios.

The effect of the physical activity on the neurocognitive functioning of humans has been proven in school-age children and healthy and mild cognitive impairment older adults. None of these initiatives has been explored in young adults, such as university students, although its study could contribute to the research on healthier lifestyles that can influence positively in their mental and cognitive health through time. The few studies that assess physical activity in university students respond to two lines of research: (a) physical activity habits to promote healthier lifestyles and, (b) the effect of the participation in sport teams during the university years. None of the above include de assessment of neurocognition in this population. That is why the aim of the present study is to explore the effect of exercise in the neurocognitive functioning of athletes and non-athletes college students in a university in Cali (Colombia). Seventy-five undergraduate university students, between 18 and 25 years old, and that are between second and eighth semester, will participate in the study. They will be divided in three groups: (a) 25 athletes that participate in a sport team of a university, (b) 25 non-athletes that exercise frequently in a high-intensity cardiovascular activity in a university, and (c) 25 sedentary university students. all of them will be assessed in cognitive (executive function and memory) and neurobiological measures (BDNF and cortisol), in three time points, during a one-year period. Results are expected to prove the hypothesis that athletes and non-athletes university students that frequently exercise with a high-intensity cardiovascular activity will execute better in cognitive measures and will show higher levels of the neurobiological measures than sedentary students, and that there will be no difference in the cognitive and neurobiological measures between the athlete and non-athlete participants.