Acute Effects of Exercise on Executive Functioning: Implications and Recommendations

Background: Exercise has ample benefits for health but its effectiveness on cognitive functioning has only recently been explored (McMorris & Hale, 2015). The purpose of this study was to test the acute effects of a strength and aerobic protocol on executive functioning capacity within a young adult sample.

Methods: Participants (n=60) were randomly assigned to either strength or aerobic task conditions. Participants in the strength condition squeezed a handgrip dynamometer at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction. Participants in the aerobic condition performed a stepping task to the cadence of a metronome. In each condition, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (HR) were measured at 30-s intervals. Three alternate forms of the Trail Making Test (TMT) were administered to assess executive functioning scores. Participants completed the TMT at rest, at RPE = 6 (moderate intensity), and at RPE = 9 (vigorous intensity).

Results: Analysis revealed a significant main effect for RPE condition. Relative to moderate and high exertion, under rest participants took longer to complete TMT-A (p .001). Following RPE = 6 and RPE = 9, participants in the aerobic condition completed TMT-A significantly faster (p .001) than participants in the strength condition. A similar pattern was observed for TMT-B, although this was not significant.

Discussion and Conclusions: Relative to the strength-endurance (handgrip) task, aerobic (stepping) task seemed to further facilitate executive functioning. Implications and recommendations for the use of exercise to optimize cognitive functioning will be discussed. Directions for future research will be outlined.