ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
The Bidirectional Modulation of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Cognitive Performance and Brain Electrical Activity in Adolescents with Smartphone Addiction: An Experimental Study Using EEG Power Spectrum Analysis
Xianglong Jiang 1
Yanni Long 1,2
Shuangshuang Zhang 1
Tongtong Che 1
1. Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
2. Qingdao Preschool Education and Sports, Qindao, China
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Abstract
Objective: Smartphone addiction has become a significant mental health issue among adolescents, affecting their cognitive functions and social adaptability. Although acute aerobic exercise has been shown to improve cognitive performance, its effects on adolescents with smartphone addiction remain unclear. This study aims to explore the impact of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive performance and brain electrical activity in adolescents with smartphone addiction and to elucidate its underlying neural mechanisms. Methods: A randomized controlled experimental design was adopted, with 40 male adolescents with smartphone addiction recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (acute aerobic exercise) or the control group (neutral reading condition). Cognitive performance was assessed using the Stroop task and the 2-back task, while EEG was used to record brain electrical activity, focusing on changes in the power of α, β, and θ waves. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in accuracy (p < 0.001, d = −2.67) and reaction time (p < 0.001, d = 3.17) in the Stroop task, and in accuracy (p < 0.001, d = −3.26) and reaction time (p < 0.001, d = 3.29) in the 2-back task. EEG results revealed that acute aerobic exercise significantly increased the power of α and β waves in the prefrontal, central, and parietal regions (p < 0.001), while θ wave power in the prefrontal and central regions significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Acute aerobic exercise significantly enhanced the cognitive performance of adolescents with smartphone addiction, particularly in attention and working memory tasks. EEG analysis indicated that exercise optimized the cognitive control network by enhancing α and β wave power and suppressing θ wave power. These findings provide empirical support for exercise interventions to improve cognitive deficits in adolescents with smartphone addiction.
Summary
Keywords
Acute aerobic exercise, adolescents, Brain electrical activity, cognitive control, cognitivefunction, EEG, Smartphone addiction
Received
07 October 2025
Accepted
30 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Jiang, Long, Zhang and Che. 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: Tongtong Che
Disclaimer
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