Search

Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise-Induced Fatigue on Executive Function in Male College Students

Author(s)

Sihang Zeng, Ziwen Wang, Weiguo Liu*

Affiliation(s)

College of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China *Corresponding Author.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of a single bout of exercise-induced fatigue on executive function in male college students, so as to provide theoretical support for the physical and mental health development of college students and the improvement of their learning outcomes. Methods: A within-subject pre-/post-fatigue design was adopted. Thirty male college students were recruited. Fatigue was induced on a treadmill while participants wore a Polar H9 heart rate strap for real-time heart rate monitoring. The Stroop task, 2-back task and More-odd shifting task were used to measure the reaction time and accuracy of the three sub-functions of executive function (inhibition, updating and shifting) before and after fatigue. Results: After a single bout of exercise-induced fatigue, the reaction times of inhibition and updating in male college students decreased significantly (P<0.05) and their accuracy increased significantly (P<0.05), whereas the reaction time of shifting decreased significantly (P<0.05) with no difference in accuracy (P>0.05). After fatigue, the standardized negative increments in reaction time differed significantly among the three sub-functions (F=1.342, P<0.05), while the increments in accuracy did not (F=0.141, P>0.05). Post hoc multiple comparisons showed that the standardized negative increment in reaction time for updating was significantly greater than that for shifting (P<0.05) and inhibition (P<0.05). Conclusion: A single bout of exercise-induced fatigue can improve the level of executive function in male college students, simultaneously enhancing both the processing speed and processing quality of inhibition and updating, while enhancing only the processing speed of shifting. In addition, the improvement in the processing speed of updating induced by a single bout of exercise-induced fatigue is greater than that of inhibition and shifting.

Keywords

Fatigue; Executive Function; Male College Students

References

[1] DIAMOND A. Executive functions [J]. Annu Rev Psychol, 2013, 64: 135-168. [2] ERIKSEN B A, ERIKSEN C W J P, PSYCHOPHYSICS. Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task [J]. 1974, 16(1): 143-149. [3] KIRCHNER W K. Age differences in short-term retention of rapidly changing information [J]. J Exp Psychol, 1958, 55(4): 352-358. [4] CRAGG L, RICHARDSON S, HUBBER P J, et al. When is working memory important for arithmetic? The impact of strategy and age [J]. PLoS One, 2017, 12(12): e0188693. [5] SJøGAARD G. Role of exercise-induced potassium fluxes underlying muscle fatigue: a brief review [J]. Can J Physiol Pharmacol, 1991, 69(2): 238-245. [6] QUINTERO A P, BONILLA-VARGAS K J, CORREA-BAUTISTA J E, et al. Acute effect of three different exercise training modalities on executive function in overweight inactive men: A secondary analysis of the BrainFit study [J]. 2018, 197: 22-28. [7] PARK S, ETNIER J L J J O P A, HEALTH. Beneficial effects of acute exercise on executive function in adolescents [J]. 2019, 16(6): 423-429. [8] XU Chengwei. Investigation on the current situation and cultivation strategies of college students' “self-directed exercise” [D], 2017. (in Chinese) [9] RAMAGE E M, KLIMAS N, VOGEL S J, et al. Concurrent sound segregation impairments in schizophrenia: The contribution of auditory-specific and general cognitive factors [J]. Schizophr Res, 2016, 170(1): 95-101. [10] XIAO Erping, ZHANG Jijia, CHEN Suiqing. The influence of shifting function on phonological encoding in Chinese stutterers [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2010, 8(03): 195-200. (in Chinese) [11] XIE Hui, LUO Yuejia, ZHANG Dandan. Research progress and prospects of working memory updating in depressed populations based on the N-back task [J]. Psychology Communications, 2019, 2(01): 43-49. (in Chinese) [12] OWEN A M, MCMILLAN K M, LAIRD A R, et al. N-back working memory paradigm: a meta-analysis of normative functional neuroimaging studies [J]. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005, 25(1): 46-59. [13] GORDON B A, KNAPMAN L M, LUBITZ L. Graduated exercise training and progressive resistance training in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot study [J]. Clin Rehabil, 2010, 24(12): 1072-1079. [14] BOROTIKAR B S, NEWCOMER R, KOPPES R, et al. Combined effects of fatigue and decision making on female lower limb landing postures: central and peripheral contributions to ACL injury risk [J]. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 2008, 23(1): 81-92. [15] CORTES N, QUAMMEN D, LUCCI S, et al. A functional agility short-term fatigue protocol changes lower extremity mechanics [J]. Journal of sports sciences, 2012, 30(8): 797-805. [16] CHMURA J, NAZAR K, KACIUBA-UŚCIŁKO H. Choice reaction time during graded exercise in relation to blood lactate and plasma catecholamine thresholds [J]. Int J Sports Med, 1994, 15(4): 172-176. [17] KAMIJO K, NISHIHIRA Y, HATTA A, et al. Differential influences of exercise intensity on information processing in the central nervous system [J]. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2004, 92(3): 305-311. [18] FERRIS L T, WILLIAMS J S, SHEN C-L J M, et al. The effect of acute exercise on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and cognitive function [J]. 2007, 39(4): 728-734. [19] LIU J, TANEEPANICHSKUL S, ZHANG B, et al. The Effect of a Single Bout of Chinese Archery on Core Executive Functions in Preadolescent Children in Shanghai [J]. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023, 20(2). [20] BERSE T, ROLFES K, BARENBERG J, et al. Acute physical exercise improves shifting in adolescents at school: evidence for a dopaminergic contribution [J]. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 2015, 9: 196. [21] CHAO Min, LIANG Feng, WANG Zun, et al. Effects of a single bout of high-intensity resistance training and intermittent aerobic exercise on basal metabolic rate in middle-aged adults [J]. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2015, 30(10): 1021-1024. (in Chinese) [22] MIYAKE A, FRIEDMAN N P, EMERSON M J, et al. The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex "frontal lobe" tasks: A latent variable analysis [J]. 2000, 41(1): 49-100. [23] CARELLI M G, FORMAN H, MäNTYLä T. Sense of time and executive functioning in children and adults [J]. Child Neuropsychol, 2008, 14(4): 372-386.