Oxygen therapy and exercise improve working memory after stroke
In a randomized trial of 36 older stroke patients, a two-week combined regimen reduced reaction time more than either therapy alone.
Research Square
In a randomized controlled trial of 36 older patients with stroke of 6 to 12 months' duration, researchers tested the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or both on working memory. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or one of three two-week intervention groups.
According to the preprint, all three intervention groups showed significant reductions in reaction time during an n-back task compared with controls. Patients receiving both hyperbaric oxygen and exercise showed significantly greater reaction time improvements than those receiving either intervention alone. Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor rose in all intervention groups, with the combined group displaying the greatest increase in vascular endothelial growth factor. Mean and peak oxyhemoglobin in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreased in all treated groups, and these oxygenation changes independently predicted reaction time improvement.
Why it matters
Working memory impairments are common after stroke in older adults. These findings suggest that combining aerobic conditioning with hyperbaric oxygen may support neurotrophic factor expression and enhance prefrontal oxygenation efficiency during post-stroke recovery.
Caveats
The findings are limited by a small sample size of 36 patients and a short two-week intervention window. Additionally, the study is a preprint that has not yet undergone peer review, and the trial was retrospectively registered.
The paper
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Zhiqiang Gao, Liwei Ye, Shan Chen, Jiali Yu, Guoxing Ren, Gangzheng Yao, Nian Wu, Yingxia Lei, Ziqi Lian, Chenxi Zhang,Wuhan Sixth Hospital
Research Square · 27 Sep 2026 · Preprint, not peer-reviewed