The Influence of Acute Sprint Interval Training on Cognitive Performance of Healthy Younger Adults
Question
Does a single session of reduced-exertion sprint interval training acutely affect cognitive performance in healthy younger adults?
Summary
In a randomized crossover study, healthy young adults completed one very short sprint-interval cycling session and one seated reading control session. Ten minutes after exercise, selective-attention error rate improved relative to control, while most other attention and working-memory measures did not change.
Methodology
- Healthy right-handed young adults with low exercise-risk screening.
- 19 participants.
- Wattbike cycling sprints.
- Work intervals: 6 seconds.
- Recovery: 1 minute passive rest.
- Intensity: All-out sprint with fixed high resistance setting.
- About 20 minutes including warm-up and rests.
- One acute session.
- Single session.
- Randomized within-subject crossover trial
- Selective attention, Working memory, Affect and exertion, and Blood lactate were tracked.
Outcomes
d2 error rate
Error percentage improved more after sprint intervals than after seated control.
F% condition difference t(18) about 2.25, p=0.037, d=-0.516.
Attention speed
Total processed items and concentration performance did not significantly differ between conditions.
GZ p=0.152; SKL p=0.074.
Digit span
Forward and backward digit span did not significantly differ between exercise and control.
DSF p=0.105; DSB p=0.830.
Feeling scale
Feeling scores were lower after sprint intervals than control, although average affect remained positive.
After exercise p=0.013; after post-test p=0.004.
Blood lactate
Sprint intervals substantially increased lactate, and lactate changes correlated with d2 attention metrics in the exercise condition.
Lactate higher than control p<0.001; exercise-condition correlations with GZ, SKL, and F% reported.
Insights
- A very brief all-out sprint protocol may acutely improve one attention-error metric, but effects were narrow.
- Most cognitive outcomes did not improve, so cognitive claims should be specific and cautious.
- The protocol is not a general low-barrier HIIT prescription because it used all-out cycling sprints and laboratory testing.
Limitations
- Small sample.
- Acute single-session design.
- Sex effects were not analyzed.
- No sham exercise or different-intensity comparator.
- The authors noted no easy physiological marker verified true all-out effort.
Safety
- One of 20 recruited participants dropped out for personal reasons before completion.
- No adverse events were reported.