Executive-related oculomotor control is improved following a 10-min single-bout of aerobic exercise: Evidence from the antisaccade task.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Controlled experimental laboratory study with a separate non-exercise control group without confirmed randomization in the abstract
PubMed 29191783 · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.11.029
What was done
Healthy young adults completed a 10-minute single bout of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer. Executive-related oculomotor control was assessed before and after exercise using the antisaccade task, measuring reaction time and directional error rates during mirror-symmetrical eye movements. A separate follow-up control experiment assessed antisaccade performance across an equivalent non-exercise rest interval.
What was found
Antisaccade reaction time reliably decreased by 27 ms from pre- to post-exercise. Directional error rates did not reliably differ between pre-exercise (13%) and post-exercise (9%) assessments. The follow-up non-exercise experiment showed no reliable modulation in reaction time across sessions.
Why it matters
These findings indicate that executive oculomotor benefits can occur after as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, challenging the view that at least 20 minutes is required for acute cognitive enhancements.
Limits
The abstract does not report participant sample size, demographics, or exact exercise intensity metrics. Randomization procedures and allocation methods between the exercise and follow-up control experiments are not detailed. Long-term retention of the reaction time improvement was not assessed.
Cited by
- partial As little as 10 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise immediately increases neuronal connectivity and improves executive function by approximately 14%, translating to about a 50-millisecond improvement in processing speed.