Changes in working memory performance and cortical activity during acute aerobic exercise in young adults

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the concurrent performance of working memory and cortical activity during acute aerobic exercise in young adults. In a crossover study design, 27 young adults (mean age = 22.7 ± 3.4 years, 15 women) participated in two experimental conditions in a randomized order: (1) sitting condition (without exercise) and (2) cycling condition (moderate-intensity exercise). Working memory was measured with a modified version of the n-back task. A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure cortex activation. In the cycling condition, response time (RT) for the n-back task was significantly faster (p < 0.05). No differences in accuracy were observed between the sitting and cycling conditions. The fNIRS results showed that the oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the bilateral frontopolar area (p < 0.05), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05), and right premotor and supplementary cortex (p < 0.05) were decreased while cycling. The findings indicated that the concurrent performance of working memory was improved during acute aerobic exercise, whereas cortical activity was decreased in some brain regions.

Acute combined effects of concurrent physical activities on autonomic nervous activation during cognitive tasks

“…The concurrent presence of PL has been associated with a reduction in EEG activity ( Xu et al, 2018 ) and ERP component amplitudes (P 300 wave) ( Zink et al, 2016 ) during the performance of cognitive tasks. Studies utilizing functional near infrared spectroscopy have also suggested that while acute aerobic exercise improves working memory performance, activities in the bilateral frontal pole area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and other regions may decrease ( Zheng et al, 2022 ). However, after acute exercise, the degree of activation of dlPFC ( Fujihara et al, 2021 ) and its correlation with behavioral performance were enhanced ( Zhang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Although our findings, indicating that PL can significantly increase the RT of cognitive tasks and reduce task performance, may appear somewhat inconsistent with previous studies, it is noteworthy that beneficial effects of physical activities have been reported. Most previous studies have demonstrated significantly faster response times during cognitive tasks (Zhu et al, 2021;Engeroff et al, 2022) and improved accuracy rates (Gao et al, 2021;Zheng et al, 2022) following physical activities or exercise interventions, such as cycling. Upon analyzing the experimental conditions, it became evident that the positive effects on works' cognitive ability typically manifest after acute physical exercises, a condition distinct from our study.…”

Runners with better cardiorespiratory fitness had higher prefrontal cortex activity during both single and exercise-executive function dual tasks: an fNIRS study

“…Similarly, we observed an improvement in the high CRF group. Several recent studies found that endurance athletes and physically active participants had improved reaction times ( Giles et al, 2018 ; Zheng et al, 2022 ). However, our results differed from those of other studies for the low-fitness group.…”

“…For fNIRS, many studies have observed a decrease in oxy-Hb of the PFC during re-motor cognition ( Giles et al, 2018 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Zheng et al, 2022 ). Zheng et al (2022) found that during the dual task of motor cognition, there is a redistribution of cerebral blood flow between metabolic and cognitive resources.…”

“…For fNIRS, many studies have observed a decrease in oxy-Hb of the PFC during re-motor cognition ( Giles et al, 2018 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Zheng et al, 2022 ). Zheng et al (2022) found that during the dual task of motor cognition, there is a redistribution of cerebral blood flow between metabolic and cognitive resources. It is now well established that oxy-Hb content in the prefrontal lobe increases at low to moderate exercise intensities and stabilizes at vigorous exercise intensities ( Maidan et al, 2021 ).…”