| In recent years,the cognitive benefits generated by exercise have become a hot research topic in sports science,brain science,cognitive science and other fields.Among them,acute exercise has become one of the important strategies to promote the improvement of cognitive function due to insufficient time or failure to adhere to it for a long time.However,meta-analysis suggests that acute exercise can improve cognitive function but with relatively small effects.How can we promote greater cognitive benefits from acute exercise? Some scholars have proposed that people need water and nutrients before and after exercise,while some supplements can additionally improve cognitive benefits of exercise.Caffeine,as a common supplement in sports,has attracted the attention of various scholars.However,currently empirical research on caffeine combined with exercise is mostly focused on the field of exercise tolerance,and there is a lack of research on the cognitive benefits of exercise and the exploration of dose and its mechanism.Therefore,this study will use inhibitory control function as a measure of cognitive benefits,explore the impact of caffeine on post exercise inhibitory control and its dose effect through two experiments,and further explore the brain mechanism of its effect.Experiment 1 recruited 20 college students to participate in four experiments,each time consuming 0mg(placebo),100mg(low dose),200mg(medium dose),and400mg(high dose)of caffeine.After aerobic exercise intervention,their inhibitory control function was measured immediately after exercise.The results showed that a200 mg dose of caffeine significantly improved the inhibitory control function after exercise compared to other doses.Experiment 2 recruited 22 college students to participate in two experiments.They consumed 0mg(placebo)or 200 mg of caffeine before aerobic exercise,and then monitored the cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex using fNIRS devices while the participants were performing the Flanker task.The results showed that the inhibitory control function of the caffeine intake group was significantly improved after exercise,and the hemoglobin levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(t(17)=6.81,p<0.05)and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex(t(17)=2.96,p<0.05)were significantly increased.It can be seen that moderate doses of caffeine can enhance the inhibitory control function of individuals after exercise by promoting the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.This suggests that college students can consume moderate doses of caffeine as a supplement before engaging in acute aerobic exercise,which can not only replenish physical strength but also maximize cognitive benefits.The results of this study deepen the progress of research on the cognitive benefits of exercise,provide a new theoretical explanation perspective,and facilitate subsequent researchers to find a basis for improving the cognitive benefits of exercise;And the coffee selected in this experiment is one of the popular beverages with extremely high consumption.In the future,it can be promoted as a new intervention method,providing corresponding reference for formulating plans to improve exercise cognitive benefits. |
