ABSTRACT

　In the present study, we investigated the effects of exercise on human cognitive processing under different thermal conditions (20℃ and 35℃ conditions). Eleven healthy males performed 4×15-min bouts of cycling exercise Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in five sessions during somatosensory Go/No-go paradigms (i.e., pre, post-1st exercise bout, post-2nd exercise bout, post-3rd exercise bout, and post-4th exercise bout). As thermoregulatory and hemodynamic variables, the external ear canal temperature, mean skin temperature, heart rate, and mean arterial blood pressure were recorded. The reaction time and error rates were not affected by the repetition of aerobic exercise or different thermal conditions. However, the peak amplitude of the N140 component, which was mainly related to somatosensory processing, was significantly reduced with the repetition of cycling exercise, and the decrease was marked in No-go trials under 35 ℃ condition. Moreover, the peak amplitude of P300, which was linked to the cognitive processes of context updating, context closure, and event-categorization, was significantly smaller in the post-3rd and post-4th exercise bouts under 35℃ than under 20℃ condition. These results suggest that executive function, which was based on reaction time and error rates, would not be affected by the repetition of aerobic exercise and different thermal conditions, but aerobic exercise under higher thermal conditions may impair human cognitive processing.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.38/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE