Premium
Effects of acute exercise at different intensities on fine motor‐cognitive dual‐task performance while walking: A functional near‐infrared spectroscopy study
Author(s) -
Park SooYong,
Reinl Maren,
Schott Nadja
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.15241
Subject(s) - functional near infrared spectroscopy , cognition , psychology , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , prefrontal cortex , dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , elementary cognitive task , working memory , physical medicine and rehabilitation , neuroimaging , audiology , task (project management) , neural correlates of consciousness , neuroscience , cognitive psychology , medicine , economics , management
Studies on the effects of acute exercises on cognitive functions vary greatly and depend on the duration and intensity of exercise and the type of cognitive tasks. This study aimed to investigate the neural correlates that underpin the acute effects of high‐intensity interval (HIIE) versus moderate‐intensity continuous exercise (MCE) on fine motor‐cognitive performance while walking (dual‐task, DT) in healthy young adults. Twenty‐nine healthy right‐handers (mean age: 25.1 years ± 4.04; 7 female) performed the digital trail‐making‐test (dTMT) while walking (5 km/h) before and after acute exercise. During task performance, the hemodynamic activation of the frontopolar area (FPA), dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC), and motor cortex (M1) was recorded using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Both HIIE and MCE resulted in improved dTMT performance, as reflected by an increase in the number of completed circles and a reduction in the time within and between circuits (reflecting improvements in working memory, inhibition, and decision making). Notably, HIIE evoked higher cortical activity on all brain areas measured in the present study than the MCE group. To our knowledge, these results provide the first empirical evidence using a mobile neuroimaging approach that both HIIE and MCE improve executive function during walking, likely mediated by increased activation of the task‐related area of the prefrontal cortex and the ability to effectively use, among other things, high fitness levels as neural enrichment resources.