Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, United States of America.
Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, United States of America.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2019 Jun;140:41-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.04.004. Epub 2019 Apr 14.
Single bouts of exercise have been observed to enhance numerous domains of cognition including inhibitory aspects of cognitive control and neuroelectric indices of attention. Given that the locus-coeruleus norepinephrine system regulates alertness and attention, this system may underlie these exercise-induced enhancements. The present study used pupillometry to examine the extent to which a single bout of exercise induces changes in aspects of locus-coeruleus activation, as well as the extent to which changes in locus-coeruleus activation were associated with changes in inhibition and neuroelectric indices of attention. Using a within-participants crossover design, behavioral, neuroelectric, and pupillometric measures were assessed in response to an inhibitory control task before and after 20-min of either aerobic exercise or an active-control condition during two separate, counterbalanced sessions. The aerobic exercise condition consisted of walking/jogging on a motor driven treadmill at an intensity of approximately 70% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. The active control condition consisted of walking on the treadmill at 0.5 mph and 0% grade. Replicating prior findings, enhancements in both reaction time and neuroelectric indices of attention were observed in response to the exercise condition. However, neither the exercise nor the active control conditions were observed to induce changes in activation of the locus-coeruleus as indexed by pupil size, and changes in activation of the locus-coeruleus were not associated with exercise-induced changes in inhibition and neuroelectric indices of attention. Accordingly, these findings provide evidence to suggest that activation of the locus-coeruleus is not a mechanism underlying exercise-induced enhancements in cognition.
单次运动已被观察到可增强认知的多个领域，包括认知控制的抑制方面和注意的神经电指数。鉴于蓝斑去甲肾上腺素能系统调节警觉性和注意力，该系统可能是这些运动引起的增强的基础。本研究使用瞳孔测量法来检查单次运动在多大程度上引起蓝斑激活方面的变化，以及蓝斑激活的变化在多大程度上与抑制和注意力的神经电指数的变化相关。使用参与者内交叉设计，在两次单独的、平衡的会议中，在进行 20 分钟的有氧运动或主动控制条件之前和之后，根据抑制控制任务评估行为、神经电和瞳孔测量指标。有氧运动条件包括在电动跑步机上以大约 70%的年龄预测最大心率进行步行/慢跑。主动控制条件包括以 0.5 英里/小时和 0%坡度在跑步机上行走。复制先前的发现，在运动条件下观察到反应时间和注意力的神经电指数都得到了增强。然而，无论是运动还是主动控制条件，都没有观察到瞳孔大小指示的蓝斑激活的变化，并且蓝斑激活的变化与运动引起的抑制和注意力的神经电指数的变化无关。因此，这些发现提供了证据表明，蓝斑的激活不是运动引起认知增强的机制。
