EEG evidence for enhanced attentional performance during moderate-intensity exercise.

Gordon Dodwell,Markus Conci,Heinrich R Liesefeld,Hermann J Müller,Thomas Töllner

doi:10.1111/psyp.13923

Abstract

Research on attentional control within real-world contexts has become substantially more feasible and thus frequent over the past decade. However, relatively little is known regarding how these processes may be influenced by common naturalistic behaviors such as engaging in physical activity, which is thought to modulate the availability of neurometabolic resources. Here, we used an event-related potential (ERP) approach to determine whether various intensities of aerobic exercise might affect the concurrent performance of attentional control mechanisms. Participants performed an additional-singleton visual search task across three levels of aerobic activity while seated on a stationary bicycle: at rest, during moderate-intensity exercise, and during vigorous-intensity exercise. In addition to behavioral measures, attentional processing was assessed via lateralized ERPs referencing target selection (PCN) and distractor suppression (PD ) mechanisms. Whereas engaging in exercise resulted in speeded response times overall, moderate-intensity exercise was found to uniquely eliminate the expression of distractor interference by the PCN while also giving rise to an unanticipated distractor-elicited Ppc. These findings demonstrate workload-specific and object-selective influences of aerobic exercise on attentional processing, providing insights not only for approaching attention in real-world contexts but also for understanding how attentional resources are used overall.

Highlights

The covert mechanisms subserving top-down attentional control are among the most actively investigated facets of visual cognition
The present study aimed to investigate the performance of top-down attentional control during acute bouts of aerobic exercise
event-related potential (ERP) reflecting attentional selection and distractor suppression were monitored as participants performed a unidimensional variant of the additional- singleton paradigm (ASP) across conditions of rest, moderate exercise, and vigorous exercise

Summary

Introduction

The covert mechanisms subserving top-down attentional control are among the most actively investigated facets of visual cognition. Implicit learning based on prior attentional deployments (e.g., selection history) has been proposed as a contributing signal (Awh et al, 2012; Müller et al, 2003; Theeuwes, 2018); whether this should be clearly segregated from top-down mechanisms remains somewhat debated (Gaspelin & Luck, 2018; Liesefeld & Müller, 2021; Nobre & Stokes, 2019). When top-down mechanisms succeed, salient distractors can be attentionally avoided (e.g., Töllner, Müller et al, 2012), whereas when they fail and a salient distractor gains the highest selection priority, attentional capture is said to occur (Hickey et al, 2006; Liesefeld et al, 2017; Rauschenberger, 2003; Ruz & Lupiáñez, 2002; Theeuwes, 2010; Theeuwes & Godijn, 2002)

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