The relationship between acute aerobic exercise and inhibitory control in college students: The impact of physical and cognitive engagement
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that acute exercise is an effective way for improving inhibition control, however, the effect of different types of Acute Aerobic Exercise and Inhibitory Control (IC) remains unclear. METHOD: Using a crossover design, 25 participants (M = 20.20year, SD=0.91) completed 20 min of interventions at 1) moderate intensity exercise, 2) moderate intensity exercise with high cognitive demand (high cognitive-demand exercise), 3) moderate intensity exercise with high physical demand (high physical-demand exercise), and 4) rest condition (low physical and cognitive demand) in a counterbalanced way. Flanker task was completed before and after each intervention to evaluate their inhibitory control ability. RESULTS: The four interventions significantly reduce reaction times for both congruent and incongruent trials with Flanker task (all P < 0.05). Compared to acute moderate intensity exercise, high physical-demand exercise induced a greater reduction in reaction times for both trial types, whereas high cognitive-demand exercise led to faster reaction times in incongruent trials. CONCLUSION: Although each intervention effectively enhanced inhibitory control, the exercise demanding high cognitive and physical effort contributed to a more pronounced improvement in inhibitory control performance. This indicates that both increased physical and cognitive engagement can significantly improve the level of inhibitory control in young adults.
Source: Physiology & Behavior
Authors: Zongyu Yang, Li Zhu, Qinghua He, Xuanling Li, Jiaxi Zhang, Yi Tang
Institutions: Guangxi Minzu University, Hunan University
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,270
Awards: G3368235960, G7863802699
OpenAlex ID: W4405237888