Sustained Effects Of High-Intensity Interval Exercise And Moderate-Intensity Continuous Exercise On Inhibitory Control

Background:Since the introduction of the proposition that exercise is medicine,an increasing number of studies has focused on how exercise can promote physical and mental health.Inhibitory control refers to the ability to resist internal impulses or external lures,and it inhibits inappropriate or prepotent responses.In particular,acute exercise,an intervention suitable for the laboratory,can better illustrate the causal relationship between exercise and mental health.Acute exercise has a positive impact of cognitive ability and academic performance of adolescents.Therefore,designing the intensity,mode and timing of athletic schedules for school sports for students can better contribute to improved cognitive abilities and academic performance.Objectives:This study examined the immediate and sustained effects of high-intensity interval exercise(HIIE)and moderate-intensity continuous exercise(MICE)bouts on inhibitory control in adolescents.Methods:Participants(n=41)engaged in(1)a session of HIIE,involving 10one-minute runs on a treadmill at an intensity targeting 85–90%HRmax interspersed with self-paced walking at 60%HRmax;(2)a session of MICE,involving a 20 min run on a treadmill at an intensity of 60–70%HRmax;and(3)a control session,involving 24min of resting on separate days in a counterbalanced order.Using a flanker task,inhibitory control was assessed before the intervention(t₀),immediately after the session(t₁),and then at 30 min(t₂),60 min(t₃),and 90 min(t₄)after the session.Results:(1)Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale was analyzed using a pared-samples t test.Significantly higher PACES scores in the HIIE condition compared to MICE.(2)Response time(RT)was analyzed using a 3(session)×5(time)×2(congruency)three-way repeated-measures ANOVA.The RT for incongruent trials immediately after HIIE was significantly shortened compared to that before exercise.Interference scores were examined for RT(incongruent-congruent)using a 3(exercise session)×5(time points)repeated-measures ANOVA.This shortened RT was sustained for 90 min post-exercise during recovery from HIIE.Interference scores of RT were also reduced after HIIE,benefitting inhibitory control,and were maintained for 90 min post-exercise.Improvements in inhibitory control elicited by HIIE were sustained for at least 90 min post-exercise.In contrast,an improvement in inhibitory control was not observed during the MICE session.(3)Interference scores were examined for accuracy(incongruent-congruent)using a 3(exercise session)×5(time points)repeated-measures ANOVA.Reduced accuracy interference scores were recorded following HIIE compared to the control session.Conclusions:HIIE might represent a time-efficient approach for enhancing inhibitory control.Accordingly,it is recommended that adolescents should engage in HIIE during periods of school recess or physical education curriculum.In order to maximize the benefits of HIIE,we suggest to put the physical education curriculum in advance.