Effects of volume-matched acute exercise on metacognition in late middle-aged adults: The roles of exercise intensity and duration.

Increasing studies have observed the benefit of acute exercise on core executive functions (EFs). However, the effects of high-order EFs (i.e., metacognition) are poorly investigated. Additionally, the beneficial effect varies depending on exercise-related variables (e.g., intensity, duration). Exercise volume, represented by exercise intensity and duration, is one approach to examine the relationship between acute exercise and metacognition. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of acute exercise, involving three volume-matched evaluations, on metacognition in late middle-aged adults. It recruited 40 community-dwelling late middle-aged adults (22 females; Mage=61.05±4.17years). Its counterbalanced and repeated-measure experimental design included a control reading session and three exercise sessions: (1) acute moderate-intensity exercise for 30min, (2) higher-intensity exercise for 16min, and (3) lower-intensity exercise for 40min. After each session, all participants were asked to perform the Tower of London (TOL) task to assess their metacognition related to planning and problem-solving. This study showed that regardless of exercise intensity and duration variation, acute exercise led to higher move-related (i.e., total correct and move scores) and time-related (i.e., total executive and problem-solving times) scores but did not affect total initial time and violation-related scores compared to reading treatment. These findings suggest enhanced performance in metacognition after acute exercise regardless of its intensity and duration variation.

Acute Exercise Effect on Neurocognitive Function Among Cognitively Normal Late-Middle-Aged Adults With/Without Genetic Risk of AD: The Moderating Role of Exercise Volume and APOE Genotype.

BACKGROUND: Acute exercise is a behavior that benefits cognitive function; however, its effect on populations with different risks for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the role of exercise variance and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on this effect remains unknown. This study explores the acute exercise effect on behavioral and neurocognitive function, and its potential moderation by exercise intensity and duration and APOE genetic risk. METHODS: Fifty-one cognitively normal adults (~36% APOE ε4 carriers) performed the Stroop task under a rest condition and 3 exercise conditions while electroencephalographic activity was assessed. RESULTS: Acute exercise improved cognitive performance assessed through both behavioral and neuroelectrical indices. These benefits were observed regardless of adjustments of intensity and duration at a predetermined exercise volume as well as being evident irrespective of APOE ɛ4 carrier status. CONCLUSIONS: Acute exercise could be proposed as a lifestyle intervention to benefit neurocognitive function in populations with and without genetic risk of AD. Future exploration should further the precise exercise prescription and also the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of acute exercise for neurocognitive function. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05591313.

The influence of volume-matched acute aerobic exercise on inhibitory control in late-middle-aged and older adults: A neuroelectric study.

Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to benefit inhibitory control; however, less attention has been devoted to the effects of varying intensity and duration with a predetermined exercise volume. The current study assessed the influence of three distinct exercise conditions, each equated with a predesignated exercise volume but varied in terms of exercise durations and intensities, on inhibitory control utilizing both behavioral and neuroelectric measures obtained among late-middle-aged and older adults. Thirty-four adults (61.76 ± 0.80 years) completed three exercise conditions [i.e., a 30-min low-intensity exercise (LIE), a 20-min moderate-intensity exercise (MIE), and a 16-min high-intensity exercise (HIE)] and a non-exercise reading control condition (CON) on separate days. The exercise volumes of LIE and HIE were designed to match the exercise volume of MIE. Following cessation of each condition, the Stroop task was performed while event-related potentials were recorded. Improved behavioral performance (i.e., shorter response time, higher accuracy, and smaller interference scores) was observed after LIE, MIE, and HIE than CON (ps < .005). Additionally, whereas a larger P3b amplitude was only observed following MIE compared to CON (p < .01), larger N2 and smaller N450 amplitudes were observed following all three exercise conditions compared to CON (ps < .005). These findings suggested that while MIE may provide additional benefits for attentional resource allocation, exercise conditions volume matched to MIE resulted in superior inhibitory control, paralleled by modulations of the neural underpinnings of conflict monitoring/detection.

Effects of Multi-Component Exercise on Sleep Quality in Middle-Aged Adults.

Sleep is a crucial factor in healthy aging. However, most middle-aged adults experience high levels of sleep disorders. While previous findings have suggested exercise training could benefit the quality of sleep, the effects of multi-component exercise on sleep quality are less examined. Accordingly, the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component exercise program on the quality of sleep among middle-aged adults. Twenty-four middle-aged adults were randomly assigned either to a multi-component exercise (MCE) group or a control group. The participants in the MCE group attended a 90-min session per week for 12 weeks. The control group was instructed to maintain their daily routine for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the sleep quality evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcome was physical fitness, including muscular strength and endurance, balance, and flexibility. Regarding sleep quality, the global mean score (p = 028), sleep disturbances (p = 011), and sleep efficiency (p = 035) of the PSQI scores were significantly reduced in the MCE group after the 12-week intervention. Regarding physical fitness, the flexibility of the MCE group improved significantly after the intervention (p = 028), yet, no significant change was observed in the control group. Additionally, the muscular strength of the control group declined significantly after the 12-week period (p = 034). Our results revealed the effectiveness of the MCE intervention in improving sleep quality and physical fitness in middle-aged adults. Further studies using larger sample sizes, objective measures of sleep quality, different types of exercise training, as well as different populations, are warranted to extend our current findings.

The Effect of Acute High-Intensity Interval Training on Executive Function: A Systematic Review.

Acute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time-efficient strategy to improve physical health; however, the effect of acute HIIT on executive function (EF) is unclear. The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing evidence and quantify the effect of acute HIIT on overall EF and the factors affecting the relationship between acute HIIT and EF. Standard databases (i.e., the PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and CENTRAL databases) were searched for studies that examined the effect of acute HIIT on EF and were published up until January 2021. The overall EF and factors grouped by three categories, namely, EF assessment characteristics, exercise intervention characteristics, and sample and study characteristics, were analyzed by percentage of comparison for positive or null/negative effects. Overall, 35 of 57 outcomes (61%) across 24 studies revealed that acute HIIT has a positive effect on overall EF. In terms of factors, the results indicated that among EF assessment characteristics, groups, inhibition, updating, and the assessment occurring within 30 min may moderate the effect of acute HIIT on EF, while among exercise intervention characteristics, total time within 11 to 30 min may moderate the effect. Finally, among sample characteristics, age under 40 years may moderate the effect. Acute HIIT is generally considered a viable alternative for eliciting EF gains, with factors related to EF components, timing of the assessment, exercise total time, and age potentially moderating the effect of HIIT on EF.

Beneficial Autophagic Activities, Mitochondrial Function, and Metabolic Phenotype Adaptations Promoted by High-Intensity Interval Training in a Rat Model.

The effects of high-intensity interval (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on basal autophagy and mitochondrial function in cardiac and skeletal muscle and plasma metabolic phenotypes have not been clearly characterized. Here, we investigated how 10-weeks HIIT and MICT differentially modify basal autophagy and mitochondrial markers in cardiac and skeletal muscle and conducted an untargeted metabolomics study with proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis of plasma metabolic phenotypes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into three groups: sedentary control (SED), MICT, and HIIT. Rats underwent evaluation of exercise performance, including exercise tolerance and grip strength, and blood lactate levels were measured immediately after an incremental exercise test. Plasma samples were analyzed by 1H NMR. The expression of autophagy and mitochondrial markers and autophagic flux (LC3II/LC3-I ratio) in cardiac, rectus femoris, and soleus muscle were analyzed by western blotting. Time to exhaustion and grip strength increased significantly following HIIT compared with that in both SED and MICT groups. Compared with those in the SED group, blood lactate level, and the expression of SDH, COX-IV, and SIRT3 significantly increased in rectus femoris and soleus muscle of both HIIT and MICT groups. Meanwhile, SDH and COX-IV content of cardiac muscle and COX-IV and SIRT3 content of rectus femoris and soleus muscle increased significantly following HIIT compared with that following MICT. The expression of LC3-II, ATG-3, and Beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3-I ratio were significantly increased only in soleus and cardiac muscle following HIIT. These data indicate that HIIT was more effective for improving physical performance and facilitating cardiac and skeletal muscle adaptations that increase mitochondrial function and basal autophagic activities. Moreover, 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis identified 11 metabolites in plasma, among which fine significantly and similarly changed after both HIIT and MICT, while BCAAs isoleucine, leucine, and valine and glutamine were changed only after HIIT. Together, these data indicate distinct differences in specific metabolites and autophagy and mitochondrial markers following HIIT vs. MICT and highlight the value of metabolomic analysis in providing more detailed insight into the metabolic adaptations to exercise training.

Cardiac basal autophagic activity and increased exercise capacity.

To investigate whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and continuous moderate-intensity training (CMT) have different impacts on exercise performance and cardiac function and to determine the influence of these exercise protocols on modulating basal autophagy in the cardiac muscle of rats. Rats were assigned to three groups: sedentary control (SC), CMT, and HIIT. Total exercise volume and mean intensity were matched between the two protocols. After a 10-week training program, rats were evaluated for exercise performance, including exercise tolerance and grip strength. Blood lactate levels were measured after an incremental exercise test. Cardiac function and morphology were assessed by echocardiography. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression of autophagy and mitochondrial markers. Transmission electron microscopy was used to evaluate mitochondrial content. The results showed that time to exhaustion and grip strength increased significantly in the HIIT group compared with the SC and CMT groups. Both training interventions significantly increased time to exhaustion, reduced blood lactate level (after an incremental exercise test) and induced adaptive changes in cardiac morphology, but without altering cardiac systolic function. The greater improvements in exercise performance with the HIIT than with the CMT protocol were related to improvement in basal autophagic adaptation and mitochondria function in cardiac muscle. Mitochondria markers were positively correlated with autophagy makers. This study shows that HIIT is more effective for improving exercise performance than CMT and this improvement is related to mitochondrial function and basal autophagic adaptation in cardiac muscle.