![]() However, only a few studies have investigated the impact of acute exercise on working memory, with inconsistent results. Previous studies have indicated that working memory reacts sensitively to environmental changes, and improved performance has been observed after intensive cognitive training. The maximum amount of information that an individual can retain, also known as the working memory capacity, is believed to serve a vital role underlying many cognitive processes and even other aspects of executive function. Working memory reflects an executive system involving limited resources that temporarily and simultaneously stores, maintains, and updates complex action-related information. Therefore, the present study attempted to examine other primary aspects of executive function, particularly working memory, to advance our understanding. Nevertheless, the majority of studies addressing acute exercise have emphasized the inhibitory aspects of executive function, , leading to an insufficient overall understanding. Notably, rather than acting as a unitary construct, executive function is composed of distinct sub-components, including working memory, inhibition, and shifting, and Etnier and Chang postulated that acute exercise would have different influences on specific aspects of executive function. Specifically, although acute exercise improves multiple aspects of cognitive function, executive function receives the greatest positive effect, reflecting that acute exercise results in both general and specific improvements. Remarkably, a disproportionate beneficial effect of exercise training has recently also been found for acute exercise. These characteristics are responsible for the essential role that executive function plays in daily life. Executive function refers to a higher order of cognitive processes that supervise control over several lower levels of cognitive processes and guide the optimal behavior for achieving goal-directed behaviors. ![]() The type of cognitive function has been recognized as a primary moderator of exercise and cognition, most likely because exercise training leads, in particular, to more benefits on executive function relative to other cognitive categories (i.e., speed, spatial, and controlled). Despite being significantly positive, the magnitude of the detected impact (i.e., the effect sizes) of acute exercise on cognition has varied widely, suggesting that there are factors that moderate the relationship between acute exercise and cognitive function. These facilitative effects of acute exercise on cognitive function have been further established by recent meta-analytical reviews. ![]() Although there have been some inconsistent findings, subsequent research has generally acknowledged an improvement of cognitive performance following exercise. The effect of a single session of exercise, also known as acute exercise, on cognition has received growing interest since the pioneering review conducted by Tomporowski. In addition to its effects on reversing recent obesity and disease trends, our results provide substantial evidence highlighting the importance of promoting physical activity across the lifespan to prevent or reverse cognitive and neural decline. ![]() Despite the lack of an effect on behavioral measures, significant changes after acute exercise with activation of the prefrontal and occipital cortexes and deactivation of the anterior cingulate cortexes and left frontal hemisphere reflect the improvement of executive control processes, indicating that acute exercise could benefit working memory at a macro-neural level. Specifically, acute exercise induced increased brain activation in the right middle prefrontal gyrus, the right lingual gyrus, and the left fusiform gyrus as well as deactivations in the anterior cingulate cortexes, the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the right paracentral lobule. Although an acute session of exercise did not improve behavioral performance, we observed that it had a significant impact on brain activity during the 2-back condition of the N-back task. Fifteen young female participants (M = 19.56, SD = 0.81) were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a working memory task, the N-back task, both following an acute exercise session with 20 minutes of moderate intensity and a control rest session. A within-subjects design with a counterbalanced order was employed. The present study examined the effect of a session of acute aerobic exercise on working memory task-evoked brain activity as well as task performance. However, neural correlates of its cognitive plasticity remain largely unknown. There is increasing evidence that acute aerobic exercise is associated with improved cognitive function.
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