A transferable high-intensity intermittent exercise improves executive performance in association with dorsolateral prefrontal activation in young adults.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Counterbalanced crossover experimental trial
PubMed 29203453 · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.003
What was done
Twenty-five sedentary young adults (mean age 21.0 ± 1.6 years, 9 females) completed two counterbalanced sessions: an acute high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIE) session and a resting control condition. The HIE protocol comprised a 2-minute warm-up (50 W at 60 rpm) followed by eight 30-second intervals of recumbent cycling at 60% maximal aerobic power (mean 127 ± 29.5 W at 100 rpm) alternating with 30 seconds of rest (10 minutes total). Participants completed the color-word matching Stroop task before and after each session while prefrontal cortical hemodynamics were monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
What was found
Acute HIE shortened response times related to Stroop interference compared to the control condition and evoked increased cortical activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This increased left DLPFC activation correlated significantly with improved Stroop performance. Specific numerical values, effect sizes, and p-values for reaction time changes and hemodynamic responses were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The study provides neuroimaging evidence that a brief, accessible 10-minute interval exercise protocol can transiently enhance executive function through prefrontal cortical activation in sedentary individuals.
Limits
The sample was small (n = 25) and restricted to healthy, sedentary young adults, limiting generalizability to older or clinical populations. The abstract does not provide exact effect sizes, error margins, or duration of cognitive gains over time. Long-term cognitive adaptations to chronic HIE training were not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports A 10-minute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout has been shown to improve cognition.