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Int J Sports Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-1684-9151
Behavioural Sciences

Moderate Intensity Cycling Combined with Cognitive Dual-task Improves Selective Attention

Marcos Roberto Kunzler
1   Federal University of Pampa – Uruguaiana Campus, Laboratory of Neuromechanics, Uruguaiana, Brazil
,
Felipe P. Carpes
1   Federal University of Pampa – Uruguaiana Campus, Laboratory of Neuromechanics, Uruguaiana, Brazil
› Author AffiliationsFunding This research was partially funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development CNPq-Brazil. A research fellowship from CNPq-Brazil supports FPC.
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Abstract

Physical and cognitive exercises have positive long-term effects on cognitive capacities. However, acute effects still are controversial. Here we determine the acute effects of physical exercise combined with concurrent cognitive exercise on cognitive performance in young adults. Simple reaction time, selective attention, and memory were evaluated in 23 young men before and after 30 min of stationary cycling exercise, 30 min of stationary cycling exercise combined with cognitive exercise, and 30 min of rest. Exercise intensity was continuously controlled to ensure exercise at moderate intensity. We found that physical exercise combined with cognitive dual-task improves selective attention. Both exercise conditions showed similar effects on simple reaction time, and memory was not affected by the different exercise conditions. We conclude that the combination of cycling exercise at moderate intensity with a cognitive exercise acutely improves selective attention in young adults. These results can be of particular interest for interventions aiming at improving selective attention in sports and for older adults and individuals with difficulty to suppress and filter out task-irrelevant information, like when receiving instruction or learning a new task or concept.

Key words

physical exercise - dual-task - acute effort - cognition


Publication History

Received: 28 July 2021

Accepted: 02 November 2021

Accepted Manuscript online:
02 November 2021

Article published online:
14 January 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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