Cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with both baseline dual-task performance and post-exercise changes in behavioral performance and prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin responses, consistent with the view that higher cardiorespiratory fitness may be linked to more favorable neurocognitive responses following acute moderate-intensity exercise.
High-CRF participants demonstrated better baseline dual-task accuracy compared to low-CRF participants.
High-CRF participants showed higher baseline oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the dual task.
Following a single bout of moderate-intensity exercise, the high-CRF group demonstrated greater improvement in reaction time compared to the low-CRF group.
Group differences in exercise-related changes in Oxy-Hb were observed in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar area, with only the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex effect surviving correction for multiple comparisons.
VO2max significantly predicted post-exercise reaction time, accuracy, and Oxy-Hb responses in selected prefrontal regions.
The study used a cycling-based cognitive-motor dual task combining steady-state cycling with Serial-7 subtraction to assess both behavioral and neural responses.
This research suggests that a person's cardiovascular fitness level—measured by how much oxygen their body can use during maximum exercise (VO2max)—plays an important role in how the brain and cognitive performance respond to a single session of moderate aerobic exercise. In this study, 40 male university students with higher fitness levels not only started with better mental performance during a combined cycling and math task, but also showed greater improvements in reaction speed and brain activity in the prefrontal cortex (the region responsible for attention and decision-making) after a 25-minute cycling session, compared to students with lower fitness levels. Using a brain imaging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the researchers found that higher-fitness individuals had more active prefrontal brain regions both at rest and after exercise. Specifically, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—a region linked to working memory and cognitive control—showed notably greater exercise-related changes in brain oxygenation in the high-fitness group. Statistical analyses also confirmed that VO2max could predict how well someone would perform mentally and how their brain would respond after exercise. This research suggests that cardiorespiratory fitness may shape the extent to which a single bout of aerobic exercise boosts brain function and mental performance. People with higher fitness levels appear to experience more pronounced brain and cognitive benefits from the same exercise session compared to those with lower fitness levels. These findings have potential relevance for understanding how physical fitness and exercise interact to support mental performance, particularly in young adults engaged in tasks requiring simultaneous physical and cognitive effort.
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Upload Your LabsYe Y, Chen K, Lin H. (2026). The effect of a single bout of moderate aerobic exercise on prefrontal activation during a cognitive-motor task in male university students: The moderating role of cardiorespiratory fitness.. Brain research bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2026.111957