Find all our publications here

Journals publications

In the News

Linking physical exercise to video games

“You can combine exercise and video games,” Roig said. “A lot of people think they are opposed, but really, we are failing our younger generations. The hope of this paper is to show parents and younger people that you can improve at both simultaneously.” – McGill Reporter

roig gaming study1

15 minutes of cardio improves video game performance: study

While playing video games might not seem like the most physically demanding activity, new research out of McGill University suggests that when players exercise before playing a game, they play better. -CNBC

httpswwwelmundoesvidasanacuerpo202002085e3c0dd621efa037238b456fhtml

Un científico español desvela el mejor truco para League of Legends: 15 minutos de ejercicio antes de jugar

Ahora resulta que la actividad física, además de obrar el milagro de hacernos sentir estupendamente de cuerpo y de coco, puede ayudarnos a mejorar el rendimiento en un escenario tan antagónico al movimiento (real) como es el de los videojuegos. – El Mundo

Research may link exercise to improved video game performance

A Canadian researcher from McGill University recently conducted a study that suggests that exercise can improve performance in video games. A group of young players were asked to play the popular online video game, League of Legends for 20 minutes after 15 minutes of intense cardio exercise. The players were then asked to come in and play the game again after a period of rest. Dr. Marc Roig is an associate professor at McGill University, and neuroscientist that does research on the effects of exercise on the brain. He said that two of his students, Bernat de Las Heras and Orville Li, came to him with the idea to test the theory out. –Radio Canada International

httpswwwlapressecasocietesanteenforme20200203015259406lactivitephysiqueamelioreraitlaperformanceauxjeuxvideophp

L’activité physique améliorerait la performance aux jeux vidéo

Voilà un argument de taille pour les parents qui cherchent comment faire bouger des jeunes rivés à leur ordinateur ou à leur console : pratiquer 15 minutes d’activité physique intense avant de jouer à un jeu vidéo semble ensuite améliorer la performance pendant le jeu. -La Presse

httpwwwmcgilltribunecomsexercisingyourrighttoabetterbrain

Exercising your right to a better brain

While it might be difficult to consciously visualize how to balance on a bike or catch a ball, a recent study at McGill sheds light on the role of exercise in motor memory, or learning how to perform a skill instinctively. Individuals normally pick up motor memory through repetition, but exercise can reportedly speed up this process, with possible implications for future physical therapy regimens. —McGill Tribune

S’entraîner favoriserait la consolidation de la mémoire motrice

Faire de l’exercice cardiovasculaire intense juste après une activité manuelle aiderait le cerveau à mémoriser la tâche effectuée. Cette découverte pourrait améliorer les méthodes de réhabilitation pour les personnes qui doivent récupérer des capacités motrices, après un AVC, par exemple. Un texte de Gabriel Laurin — Radio Canada

Scientists are discovering new connections between learning, exercise and sleep.

A new study suggests that when learning a new task, people improve the long-term retention of those skills when they exercise intensely for as little as 15 minutes immediately afterward—provided this is followed by a good night’s sleep. The study was published in March in the medical journal NeuroImage. —Wall Street Journal

15 Minutes of exercise can make a new skill stick

As little as a single 15-minute bout of cardiovascular exercise increases brain connectivity and efficiency, according to new research. If you want to learn to walk a tightrope, for example, it’s a good idea to go for a short run after each practice session, the research suggests. The recent study, which appears in NeuroImage, shows that exercise performed immediately after practicing a new motor skill improves its long-term retention. —Futurity.org

How exercise can help you master new skills

Can you improve your body’s ability to remember by making it move? That rather odd-seeming question stimulated researchers at the University of Copenhagen to undertake a reverberant new examination of just how the body creates specific muscle memories and what role, if any, exercise plays in the process. —New York Times