Diverse Intensities of Acute Aerobic Exercise Impacts Immediate and Short-Term Cognitive Functioning in Young Adults

The present study investigated the impact of three intensities of aerobic exercise -- low intensity [LIE), moderate intensity [MIE], and higher intensity [HIE]) -- on information processing and executive functioning. Forty participants (19, male; 21, female) between the ages of 18–25 (mean = 20.75, SD = ± 2.56) were randomly assigned to either a non-exercise-control (CON), LIE, MIE, or HIE groups. Participants took part in (1) single choice (SC), multichoice (MC), and dual-task (DT) response-time tasks to ascertain the speed of information processing, and (2) the Trail Making Test (TMT) to ascertain executive functioning, before exercise and 1 min and 20 min postexercise. Information processing was analyzed by fractionating total response time (RPT) into reaction time (RT), and movement time (MT). Trail Making Test, RPT, RT, and MT data were analyzed using separate 4 (Group [CON, LIE, MIE, HIE]) x 3 (Test Trial Block [pre-exercise, 1 min postexercise, 20 min postexercise]) repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicated that to varying extents participants in the three exercise groups significantly improved their RT and RPT during MC and DT tasks, but not during the SC task, and improved their TMT scores (ranging from p < .05 to p < .001) compared to CON group participants and that these improvements were observed at 1 min and 20 min postexercise. Based on the results, exercises of varying intensities positively affected the speed of information processing during the more complex response time tasks (MC and DT) and positively impacted executive functioning. As RT, and not MT, was primarily affected by exercise and as RT represents more central nervous system (CNS) processing, the faciliatory effect of exercise on the speed of information processing involved more rapidity of cortical processing than rapidity of movement when completing the MC and DT response-time tasks.