PMID 33172145

Research
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Acute Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Cortisol and Working Memory in Physical Education College Students

Martínez-Díaz IC, Escobar-Muñoz MC, Carrasco L

Question

What are the acute effects of a cycling HIIT bout on BDNF, cortisol, and working memory in healthy young men?

Summary

A single bout of 10 x 1-min cycling HIIT at VO2peak power output increased BDNF immediately, increased cortisol through 30 min post-exercise, and improved digit-span working-memory scores immediately and partly at 30 min in 25 healthy male physical-education students. The study had no control group and no statistical association between biomarker changes and working-memory scores.

Methodology

  • Healthy male physical education college students.
  • 25 participants.
  • Cycle ergometer.
  • Work intervals: 1 min.
  • Recovery: 1 min passive.
  • Intensity: VO2peak power output at 70 rpm.
  • About 20 min interval block.
  • Single session.
  • Acute.
  • One-group acute pre-post quasi-experimental study
  • BDNF, Cortisol, Working memory, and Exercise response were tracked.

Outcomes

BDNF

BDNF rose immediately after HIIT and returned near baseline by 30 min.

424.66 +/- 91.05 to 1271.07 +/- 342.93 pg/mL; p<0.001.

Improved

Cortisol

Cortisol increased progressively through 30 min post-HIIT.

132.33 +/- 35.88 to 234.45 +/- 109.63 ng/mL at 30 min; p<0.001.

Safety concern

Working memory

Digit Span backward and total scores improved immediately and remained partly elevated at 30 min.

DST-B and DST-T significant; effect sizes r=0.392-0.511.

Improved

Correlations

Biomarker levels were not significantly associated with working-memory scores at matching timepoints.

No significant same-timepoint correlations.

No clear change

Insights

  • Acute HIIT may transiently improve working-memory test performance, but causality and real-world relevance are uncertain.
  • High-intensity intervals produced large stress-marker responses.
  • A 1:1 cycling format is reproducible but lab-calibrated intensity limits app translation.

Limitations

  • No control group
  • Acute-only study
  • All male physical education students
  • Peripheral BDNF is an indirect central marker
  • Potential BDNF genotype effects not assessed

Safety

  • No adverse-event details were reported.
  • Participants were screened to exclude cardiometabolic, neurological, psychiatric, endocrine, immunological, and medication-related risks.