PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if a short term maximal aerobic exercise bout alters cognitive function in young women. METHODS: Healthy low CVD risk females, using birth control, 21.8 ± 2.7 yrs old, 23.5 ± 4.9 % body fat, and VO2max of 51.3 ± 6.8 ml/kg/min. Subjects were cognitively tested twice: 1) exercise, before, during, and after a discontinuous short-term maximal treadmill exercise protocol and, 2) non-exercise, time-matched to exercising testing. Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics, a computerized, mouse based program was used to assess cognitive function. RESULTS: Before and after exercise results: Exercise had no effect on simple reaction time, which was fastest after recovery irrespective of exercise. Baseline Code Substitution was 6% lower on the Exercise day. Spatial processing increased by 13% at the second assessment and 18% at the third on the Non-Exercise day and was 11% higher after recovery (the 3rd assessment) on the Exercise day. Visual spatial memory decreased 8% from baseline to the second assessment in the Non-Exercise condition. Code substitution was 5% higher after exercise (the 2nd assessment) than at baseline. Only code substitution delayed showed a correlation between VO2max and cognitive performance, which was negative. Before, during, after exercise results: Two cognitive variables, procedural reaction time and working memory, were assessed before, during breaks at (25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of VO2max), and after exercise and recovery in both conditions. In general, procedural reaction time, which was tested first, increased overtime. This effect was blunted with exercise. Working memory on the Non-exercise day was highest during the middle of the testing with this being eliminated with exercise. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that some cognitive tasks are resilient to change across time, or short-term maximal exercise intervention, therefore when interpreting results it is important to be task specific. Both of the visual tasks assessed were affected in the Non-exercise condition, but in opposite directions. These showed no change over time with exercise. Procedural reaction time exhibited very similar patterns of change over time, regardless of exercise intervention. Correlation of fitness level was detected for one cognitive function.