Li Ruei-Hong, Karageorghis Costas I, Chen Ying-Chu, Chen Yung-Chih, Liao Yi-Hung, Hung Tsung-Min, Chang Yu-Kai
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Middlesex, UK.
Psychol Sport Exerc. 2024 Jan;70:102531. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102531. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
Both acute aerobic (AE) and resistance exercise (RE) have been acknowledged to be effective methods in enhancing executive function and brain-related P3 amplitudes. Nevertheless, the effect of acute concurrent exercise training (CET), combining both AE and RE, on executive function remains subject to speculation. Moreover, investigation of the mechanisms that underlie improvements in executive function would facilitate scientific understanding. Notably, lactate has emerged as a candidate among several potential mechanisms. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acute CET on the cognitive flexibility dimension of executive function using behavioural and neuro-electric measures. A secondary aim was to determine the mediating effect of blood lactate in the acute exercise-executive function relationship. Seventy-eight young adults (38 women, 40 men; 22.8 ± 1.8 years) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: CET, AE, or reading control (RC). Cognitive flexibility was evaluated using the Task-Switching Test and its derived electroencephalography (EEG) was assessed immediately prior to and following each treatment. Fingertip lactate assays were taken prior to, at the midpoint, and after each treatment. Both acute CET and AE shortened response time regardless of test conditions when compared to the RC group. Greater P3 amplitude was observed following CET in the heterogeneous condition and under AE in the switch condition. A significant mediation of blood lactate for response time emerged in both the CET and AE groups for the heterogeneous and switch conditions. The blood lactate mediation was not reflected in P3 amplitude. The present findings suggest that acute CET leads to positive behavioural and neuro-electric alterations of cognitive flexibility, and its effect is similar to AE. Additionally, blood lactate serves as a mediator of the effects of acute exercise on executive function from a behavioural, but not neuro-electric standpoint.
急性有氧运动（AE）和抗阻运动（RE）均被认为是增强执行功能和与大脑相关的P3波幅的有效方法。然而，将AE和RE相结合的急性联合运动训练（CET）对执行功能的影响仍有待推测。此外，对执行功能改善背后机制的研究将有助于科学理解。值得注意的是，乳酸已成为几种潜在机制中的一个候选因素。因此，本研究的主要目的是使用行为和神经电测量方法来研究急性CET对执行功能的认知灵活性维度的影响。次要目的是确定血乳酸在急性运动与执行功能关系中的中介作用。78名年轻人（38名女性，40名男性；22.8±1.8岁）被随机分配到以下组之一：CET组、AE组或阅读对照组（RC）。使用任务转换测试评估认知灵活性，并在每次治疗前后立即评估其衍生的脑电图（EEG）。在每次治疗前、中点和治疗后进行指尖乳酸检测。与RC组相比，急性CET和AE均缩短了反应时间，无论测试条件如何。在异质条件下的CET后和转换条件下的AE后观察到更大的P3波幅。在异质和转换条件下，CET组和AE组的血乳酸对反应时间均有显著的中介作用。血乳酸的中介作用未在P3波幅中体现。本研究结果表明，急性CET会导致认知灵活性出现积极的行为和神经电改变，其效果与AE相似。此外，从行为而非神经电角度来看，血乳酸是急性运动对执行功能影响的中介因素。
