Division of Sports Science & Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Division of Sports Science & Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Sleep Med. 2023 Oct;110:7-16. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.07.020. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
Short-sleep is becoming increasingly common and may negatively affect brain function including cognitive ability. Physical exercise has been proved to improve cognitive function while intensity matters. This study was conducted to examine the effects of 12-week exercise interventions on cognitive performance and prefrontal cortex activation related to task performance in short-sleep young adults.
A total of 50 subjects (23.62 ± 5.28 years and 24 men) with regular short-sleep conditions (<7 h per night) participated in this study and were divided into three groups: control, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group. As task performance (congruent and incongruent Stroop) was monitored, changes in prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb), an indicator of cortical activation, were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to explore the hemodynamics mechanism.
Post 12-week intervention, significant differences in reaction time for congruent [β (95%CI): -0.045 (-0.088, -0.002), p = 0.039] and incongruent Stroop tests [β (95%CI): -0.058 (-0.113, -0.003), p = 0.038] were found only in the MICT intervention group. However, HIIT did not show significant improvements in cognitive function. Left middle frontal gyrus (Frontal Mid L) and right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (Frontal Sup R) were both stimulated by MICT and HIIT. Moreover, left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (Frontal Sup L) was stimulated by MICT.
The findings indicated that 12-week MICT improved cognition by significantly increasing cortical activity across more brain regions. Thus, we suggested that maintaining moderate-intensity exercise could benefit cognitive function despite short sleep.
短睡眠变得越来越普遍，可能会对大脑功能产生负面影响，包括认知能力。已经证明，体育锻炼可以改善认知功能，而强度很重要。本研究旨在探讨 12 周运动干预对短睡眠年轻成年人认知表现和与任务表现相关的前额叶皮层激活的影响。
共有 50 名受试者（23.62±5.28 岁，24 名男性）参与了这项研究，他们的睡眠习惯是有规律的短睡眠（每晚<7 小时），并被分为三组：对照组、中等强度连续训练（MICT）组和高强度间歇训练（HIIT）组。在监测任务表现（一致和不一致 Stroop 测试）的同时，使用功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）测量前额叶氧合血红蛋白（oxyHb）的变化，oxyHb 是皮质激活的指标，以探索血液动力学机制。
在 12 周干预后，仅在 MICT 干预组中发现了一致 Stroop 测试[β（95%置信区间）：-0.045（-0.088，-0.002），p=0.039]和不一致 Stroop 测试[β（95%置信区间）：-0.058（-0.113，-0.003），p=0.038]的反应时间有显著差异。然而，HIIT 并没有在认知功能上显示出显著的改善。MICT 和 HIIT 都刺激了左额中回（Frontal Mid L）和右额上外侧回（Frontal Sup R）。此外，MICT 还刺激了左额上外侧回（Frontal Sup L）。
这些发现表明，12 周的 MICT 通过显著增加更多脑区的皮质活动来改善认知。因此，我们建议保持中等强度的运动可以有益于认知功能，即使是在短睡眠的情况下。
