Yue Tian, Su Hanghang, Cheng Ming-Yang, Wang Yan, Bao Ke, Qi Fengxue
Key Laboratory of Sport Training of General Administration of Sport of China, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
Sports, Exercise and Brain Sciences Laboratory, Sports Coaching College, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China.
J Hum Kinet. 2025 May 29;98:41-56. doi: 10.5114/jhk/194498. eCollection 2025 Jul.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a time-efficient mode of exercise. However, there is limited evidence that HIIT improves inhibitory control and working memory (WM) more than moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICT). This study aimed to explore the effects of HIIT, moderate-intensity interval exercise (MIIT), and MICT on inhibitory control and WM in healthy adults. Twenty-five healthy college students (21.04 ± 2.44 years; 14 females) were recruited to complete HIIT, MIIT, MICT, and a resting session (CON) for 15 min in a randomized crossover design. The HIIT protocol comprised three 3-min bouts at 90% of the maximum heart rate (HR) with 2 min of active recovery at 70% HR. The MIIT protocol comprised three 3-min bouts at 70% HR with 2 min of active recovery at 50% HR. A volume-matched MICT protocol was applied at 70% HR. The Stroop and 2-back tasks were used to evaluate inhibitory control and WM in post-trials, respectively. Response times (RTs) of the Stroop task significantly improved on the congruent condition in the HIIT session compared to the CON session (p = 0.004, Cohen's d = 0.64), on the incongruent condition in the HIIT session compared to MICT (p = 0.049, Cohen's d = 0.42) and CON (p = 0.023, Cohen's d = 0.49) sessions, and on the neutral condition in the HIIT session compared to MIIT (p = 0.029, Cohen's d = 0.47) and CON (p = 0.012, Cohen's d = 0.55) sessions. Hits in the 2-back task increased significantly following HIIT compared to MIIT (p = 0.041, Cohen's d = 0.43), MICT (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.5), and CON (p = 0.006, Cohen's d = 0.6). We concluded that a single bout of HIIT effectively improved inhibitory control and WM in healthy adults. These findings support the practical implication of HIIT being beneficial within a short time for enhancing inhibitory control and WM in clinical populations.
高强度间歇训练（HIIT）已成为一种省时的运动方式。然而，仅有有限的证据表明，与中等强度持续运动（MICT）相比，HIIT能更有效地改善抑制控制和工作记忆（WM）。本研究旨在探讨HIIT、中等强度间歇运动（MIIT）和MICT对健康成年人抑制控制和WM的影响。招募了25名健康大学生（年龄21.04±2.44岁；女性14名），采用随机交叉设计，让他们依次完成HIIT、MIIT、MICT以及15分钟的静息时段（CON）。HIIT方案包括以最大心率（HR）的90%进行3次3分钟的运动回合，每次回合后以HR的70%进行2分钟的主动恢复。MIIT方案包括以HR的70%进行3次3分钟的运动回合，每次回合后以HR的50%进行2分钟的主动恢复。MICT方案则是以HR的70%进行与其他方案运动量匹配的持续运动。分别采用Stroop任务和2-back任务在各试验后评估抑制控制和WM。与CON时段相比，HIIT时段在Stroop任务的一致条件下反应时间（RTs）显著改善（p = 0.004，科恩d值 = 0.64）；与MICT（p = 0.049，科恩d值 = 0.42）和CON（p = 0.023，科恩d值 = 0.49）时段相比，HIIT时段在不一致条件下反应时间显著改善；与MIIT（p = 0.029，科恩d值 = 0.47）和CON（p = 0.012，科恩d值 = 0.55）时段相比，HIIT时段在中性条件下反应时间显著改善。与MIIT（p = 0.041，科恩d值 = （此处原文有误，应为0.43））、MICT（p = 0.02，科恩d值 = 0.5）和CON（p = 0.006，科恩d值 = 0.6）相比，HIIT后2-back任务中的正确命中数显著增加。我们得出结论，单次HIIT能有效改善健康成年人的抑制控制和WM。这些发现支持了HIIT在短时间内对增强临床人群的抑制控制和WM有益的实际意义。
