Open-skill exercise
Open-skill exercise has been studied in 8 papers since 2017: 3 trials and 1 observational study in people, 3 reviews. The newest paper, Jun 25, 2025: “The Impact of Open-Skill Exercises and E-Sports on Cognitive Function: A Narrative Review of Their Role in Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia”.
8 papers study it10 findingsUpdated
“the open- and closed-skill groups showed significantly faster responses than the control group in the switch trials after the exercise intervention”
None of its findings points the other way.
- 4 independent labs in 5 countries
- Funders: Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan and 2 more
- 1 of 8 findings with company ties
- Human trial3
- Humans1
Studies in people
3 studies gave open-skill exercise to people and measured what changed.
up: Increases BDNF
up: Increases IGF-1
up: Increases IL-6
Randomized trial39 peopleaged 55–75 years12 weeks
BMC neuroscience, Nov 25, 2021
down: Decreases task-switching reaction time
up: Increases ERP P3 amplitude5.79 μV vs 3.50 μV
Randomized trial69 peoplesolely of menaged 60–80 years old24 weeks
Community-dwelling men aged 60–80 years old living independently with a sedentary lifestyle
Frontiers in aging neuroscience, Sep 12, 2017
up: Improves audio-visual perception
Trial58 people37 femaleM = 69.65, SD = 5.64, range 60 to 8160 to 80 minutes
PloS one, Jun 1, 2017
What did studies of Open-skill exercise find?
7Studies of Open-skill exercise measured 7 outcomes; the most studied are cognitive function (2 studies), ERP P3 amplitude (1) and IL-6 (1).
Cognitive function
upin humans2
2 studies
Cognitive function
upin humans2
Open-skill exercise improves cognitive function in humans.
“sports involving dynamic interaction with opponents (OSE) have shown a positive association with the maintenance and enhancement of cognitive abilities.”
Review
Brain sciences
Open-skill exercise improves cognitive function in humans.
“with OSE exerting a stronger protective effect on cognitive functions than CSE.”
Review
Brain sciences
ERP P3 amplitude
upin humans1
1 study
ERP P3 amplitude
upin humans1
Open-skill exercise increases ERP P3 amplitude in humans (5.79 μV vs 3.50 μV).
“both open- (5.79 μV) and closed-skill (5.38 μV) groups showed significantly larger P3 amplitudes as compared to the control group (3.50 μV) after the intervention”
Human trial24 weeksmalesn = 69
Frontiers in aging neuroscience
Open-skill exercise increases ERP P3 amplitude in humans.
“the two exercise groups exhibited significantly larger P3 amplitudes on the frontal-to-parietal cortex areas after the exercise intervention relative to the baseline”
Human trialduring task switching and N-back tasks; compared with baselinetable tennisfrontal-to-parietal cortex6 monthsmalesn = 21
Frontiers in aging neuroscience
IL-6
upin humans1
1 study
IL-6
upin humans1
Open-skill exercise increases IL-6 in humans.
“Statistical analyses of absolute changes in IL-6 concentration indicates a significant larger increase in the aOSE and the aCSE group compared to the CG.”
Human trialacute exercise12 weeks
BMC neuroscience
IGF-1
upin humans1
1 study
IGF-1
upin humans1
Open-skill exercise increases IGF-1 in humans.
“In addition, the absolute changes in the IGF-1 were significantly higher in the aOSE and the aCSE group compared to the CG (see Fig. ).”
Human trialacute exercise12 weeks
BMC neuroscience
BDNF
upin humans1
1 study
BDNF
upin humans1
Open-skill exercise increases BDNF in humans.
“As shown in Fig., the increase in BDNFS was significantly higher in the aOSE and the aCSE group compared to the CG.”
Human trialacute exercise12 weeks
BMC neuroscience
Task-switching reaction time
downin humans1
1 study
Task-switching reaction time
downin humans1
Open-skill exercise decreases task-switching reaction time in humans.
“the open- and closed-skill groups showed significantly faster responses than the control group in the switch trials after the exercise intervention”
Human trial24 weeksmalesn = 69
Frontiers in aging neuroscience
Audio-visual perception
upin humans1
1 study
Audio-visual perception
upin humans1
Open-skill exercise improves audio-visual perception in humans.
“The interaction effect between Time and Group was significant [F(2, 47) = 4.54, p < 0.05, partial eta squared =.16].”
Human trialafter one session60 to 80 minutesn = 50
PloS one
What is Open-skill exercise linked with?
1Studies link Open-skill exercise with 1 measure, most often brain atrophy (1 study).
Brain atrophy
downin humans1
1 study
Brain atrophy
downin humans1
Open-skill exercise lowers the risk of brain atrophy in humans.
“Higher OSE frequencies, ARA intakes, and their combination were inversely associated with decreases in total gray matter and frontal cortex volumes.”
Humans2 yearsn = 795
Archives of gerontology and geriatrics