Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise Improves Inhibitory Control Among Young Adult Males With Obesity

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of acute highintensity interval exercise (HIIE) on neural and behavioral measures of inhibitory control in young male adults with obesity. Design: The present study employed a within-subjects design. Methods: Sixteen male adults with obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 28 kg/m 2 ] were recruited. Reaction time and response accuracy of the Flanker task as well as P3 and late positive potential (LPP) components of the event-related potential (ERP) were measured following HIIE and a sedentary control, in counterbalanced order. The HIIE session consisted of 30 min of stationary cycle exercise (5-min warm-up, 20-min HIIE, and a 5-min cool-down), whereas the control condition consisted of a time and attention-matched sedentary resting session. Results: Faster response times were observed following HIIE regardless of Flanker task condition. Faster and more accurate responses were also observed for congruent relative to incongruent conditions across both sessions. Relative to the neuroelectric data, acute HIIE resulted in increased LPP amplitude but did not affect P3 amplitude. Conclusion: Collectively, a single bout of HIIE has a general beneficial effect on basic information processing and inhibitory control among young adult males with obesity. Acute HIIE was found to impact LPP amplitude, but not the P3, which may suggest a modulation in the ability to successfully maintain attention and filter irrelevant information to achieve successful cognitive inhibition. Future research is warranted to extend these findings to a larger sample size that includes both genders, other cognitive functions, and a comparison of different modes of exercise.

Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects of Inhibition—The Effects of Acute Cardiovascular Exercise

“…An additional search was conducted in December 2020. The search yielded 22 relevant studies [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], which are summarized in Table 1 .…”

“…In most studies, participants underwent a cardiovascular exercise on an ergometer or a treadmill at intensities ranging from moderate to vigorous [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 60 , 64 , 65 ]. Four studies applied high intensity training protocols [ 54 , 59 , 61 , 63 ]. One study applied various levels of training intensity [ 62 ].…”

“…Inhibition was assessed with various versions of the color-word Stroop test [ 44 , 47 , 53 , 55 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 65 ], the go-no/go test [ 45 , 49 ], the Flanker task [ 63 ], or the stop-signal test [ 46 , 48 , 66 ]. Deficits in inhibition can lead to increased conflict between competing stimuli.…”

“…Four studies assessed the effects of physical activity on inhibition using electroencephalography (EEG) [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 50 , 63 ]. The influence of physical exercise on inhibitory processes associated with response preparation and response generation can be assessed, indirectly, with the analyses of event-related potentials (ERPs) (e.g., [ 81 ]).…”

“…Behavioral effects of a single bout of cardiovascular exercise on inhibitory control were studied using go/no-go [ 45 , 49 , 52 ], Stroop [ 44 , 47 , 53 , 55 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 64 , 65 ], Flanker [ 63 ], or stop signal test paradigms [ 46 , 48 ]. For the most part, these studies reported: (i) an overall pre-to-post decrease in reaction time in the go trials and missed responses on the no-go trials [ 45 , 52 ]; (ii) reduction in Stroop interference effects [ 44 , 47 , 55 ]; or (iii) decrease in SSRT [ 46 , 48 ].…”