Acute effects of exercise engagement on neurocognitive function: a systematic review and meta-analysis on P3 amplitude and latency
Shih‐Chun Kao, Feng‐Tzu Chen, David Moreau, Eric S. Drollette, Steve Amireault, Chien‐Heng Chu, Yu‐Kai Chang
Abstract
Although the acute effect of exercise on behavioral cognitive performance is well-documented in the exercise psychology field, a comprehensive evaluation on neuroelectric brain activity that determines healthy cognitive functioning following acute exercise is lacking. This systematic review included 39 studies examining acute exercise effects on P3 of event-related potential through its amplitude and latency, which reflect the amounts of attentional resources allocated to and the processing speed for categorizing a stimulus. Exercise has small effects on increasing amplitude and decreasing latency. The amplitude effect was moderated by age and the type, intensity, and duration of exercise, with a smaller effect being observed for individuals aged ≤18 and 19–35 than >60 years, for high-intensity than moderate-intensity exercise, for high-intensity interval training exercise than aerobic, resistance, and combined exercise, as well as for exercise lasting ≤10 and 11–20 than exercise lasting 21–30 min. The latency effect was moderated by exercise duration, with 11–20 min exercise showing a smaller effect than exercise lasting ≤10 min. These results demonstrated that acute exercise enhances allocation of attentional resources and processing speed needed to implement cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behavior. Further, these effects may be manipulated through targeting specific age groups and prescribing specific exercise parameters.