Resting-state blink rate does not increase following very-light-intensity exercise, but individual variation predicts executive function enhancement levels.
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Abstract
Background: Acute physical exercise, even at a very-light-intensity, potentiates prefrontal cortex activation and improves executive function. The underlying circuit mechanisms in the brain remain poorly understood, though we speculate a potential involvement of arousal-related neuromodulatory systems. Recently, our rodent study demonstrated that exercise, even at light-intensity, activates the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Resting-state spontaneous eye blink rate is linked to brain-arousal neural circuits, and potentially to those modulated by dopaminergic system. We hypothesized that neural substrates linked to resting-state eye blink rate contribute to the cognitive impact of acute very-light-intensity exercise.
Method: We analyzed data from a previous study with a renewed focus on resting-state eye blink rate. Twenty-four healthy young adults completed both 10 min of cycling (very-light-intensity exercise: 30% peak oxygen uptake) and rest conditions. Resting-state eye blink rate and Stroop task performance were measured before and after both exercise and resting control.
Results: Results showed no significant differences in eye blink rate changes between conditions. However, correlation analyses revealed that exercise-induced changes in resting-state eye blink rate were significantly associated with individual variations in Stroop task performance enhancement.
Conclusion: Very-light-intensity exercise does not elicit a consistent increase in eye blink rate after exercise. This finding does not support the involvement of a blink increase-linked neural substrate in enhancing executive function through very-light-intensity exercise. However, resting-state eye blink rate that is altered by exercise is predictive of executive function enhancement levels; this may serve as a novel contactless biomarker for predicting exercise benefits for brain health and cognition.
期刊介绍：
Journal of Physiological Anthropology (JPA) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on the physiological functions of modern mankind, with an emphasis on the physical and bio-cultural effects on human adaptability to the current environment.
The objective of JPA is to evaluate physiological adaptations to modern living environments, and to publish research from different scientific fields concerned with environmental impact on human life.
Topic areas include, but are not limited to:
environmental physiology
bio-cultural environment
living environment
epigenetic adaptation
development and growth
age and sex differences
nutrition and morphology
physical fitness and health
Journal of Physiological Anthropology is the official journal of the Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology.
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