PMID 37190536

Research
All papers

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Executive Functions in College Students: Evidence from Different Doses

Wang X, Liu Z, Zhang H, Ji C

Question

Do low-dose and moderate-dose HIIT improve inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory in college students, and does twice-weekly HIIT outperform once-weekly HIIT?

Summary

College students randomized to one or two weekly 10-minute recumbent-bike HIIT sessions for six weeks improved executive-function test performance more than a no-HIIT control group. Two weekly sessions generally produced larger benefits than one weekly session, but executive-function scores trended downward after HIIT stopped.

Methodology

  • Healthy undergraduate college students
  • 81 participants.
  • Recumbent bike.
  • Work intervals: 60 s riding as quickly as possible.
  • Recovery: 60 s slow riding.
  • Intensity: Fast/maximal effort monitored by RPE and HR.
  • 20 min including 5-min warm-up and 5-min relaxation.
  • 2 sessions/week.
  • 6 weeks.
  • Randomized controlled dose-comparison intervention
  • Inhibition, Cognitive flexibility, Working memory, and Attendance were tracked.

Outcomes

Inhibition

Inhibition reaction time improved with HIIT, while inhibition accuracy was not significantly affected.

Reaction time group x time F(4,156)=75.49, p<0.001; Time 2 exercise-group improvement 3.97-8.24%, p<0.05.

Mixed

Cognitive flexibility

HIIT improved cognitive flexibility, with moderate dose generally better than low dose.

Accuracy improvement 6.66-7.32%, p<0.05; reaction time improvement 5.55-7.49%, p<0.05.

Improved

Working memory

Working-memory accuracy and reaction time improved after HIIT, especially in the moderate-dose group.

Accuracy group x time F(4,156)=81.23, p<0.001; reaction time group x time F(4,156)=73.46, p<0.001.

Improved

Follow-up

Executive-function measures remained above baseline in some comparisons but trended downward after HIIT stopped.

Article conclusion reports downward trend at Time 3 after cessation.

Mixed

Attendance

Both exercise groups had high attendance.

Low-dose 94.50%; moderate-dose 94.33%.

Improved

Insights

  • A very short 5 x 60/60 s bike format is a plausible low-dose cognitive-health exercise format for students.
  • Benefits may require continued training rather than a short one-time block.

Limitations

  • Single college-student population
  • Outside exercise behavior difficult to track
  • Achieved intensity not reported
  • Some group labels in the table appear inconsistent with the text

Safety

  • No adverse events reported in the paper.
  • RPE and heart rate were monitored during HIIT.