ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1581481
This article is part of the Research TopicBrain Adaptations to Exercise in Health and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Considerations and Future Perspectives on the Underlying MechanismsView all 5 articles
Acute Effect of Low-intensity Aerobic Exercise on Eliciting Enhanced Parietal Activation and Promoting Executive Function Performance More Than Moderate-intensity Exercise
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shenzhen Qianhai Taikang Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- 3Key Laboratory of Education Ministry for Modern Design and Rotor-Bearing System, School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
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This study explored how distinct intensities of aerobic exercise affect cognitive function, gait, posture, and brain activity in healthy young adults. Forty-nine participants were divided into stretching exercise (SE), low-intensity aerobic exercise (LAE), and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MAE) groups, and their cognitive function was assessed using various tasks before and after exercise, cortical activation was monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and gait parameters and stability indices were measured using a video motion and posture analysis system. The LAE group exhibited significantly improved Stroop task reaction time and reduced deoxyhemoglobin concentrations in key cortical regions (left/right S1, left Broca's area, and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Greater stride length during aerobic exercise correlated with the Stroop task reaction time, and functional connectivity indices during exercise predicted post-exercise cognitive benefits. Notably, LAE enhanced functional connectivity within the parietal cortex, fostering interconnections between left M1 and nearby brain regions including left S1, right M1, and Wernicke's area. In summary, LAE optimizes parietal functional connectivity and executive speed, with stride length and cortical functional connectivity predicting postexercise cognitive benefits. These findings advance our understanding of the relationships between exercise and brain health, particularly those linked with motor learning and M1 plasticity-mediated cortical network dynamics.
Keywords: cognitive benefit prediction, exercise intensity, parietal-cortical activation, motor control, young adults
Received: 22 Feb 2025; Accepted: 25 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shen, Chen, Li, Cai, Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chuhuai Wang, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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