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Cerebral oxygenation during cortical activation: the differential influence of three exercise training modalities. A randomized controlled trial

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To determine if a cerebral oxygenation response during cortical activation is influenced by exercise training mode.

Methods

Sixty-seven individuals (55–75 years old) volunteered for this 16-week intervention study. Participants were randomized into a resistance training (RT) group (n = 22), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group (n = 13), moderate continuous training (MCT) group (n = 13) and a control (CON) group (n = 19). Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure cerebral oxygenation during the Stroop task. A submaximal Bruce treadmill test was used to measure changes in walking endurance.

Results

The GROUP × TIME interaction for reaction time on the naming and executive Stroop conditions were not significant (P > 0.05). At post-test, the CON group showed increased brain activation, with significantly higher relative oxy-haemoglobin (O2Hb) values during the naming Stroop condition compared to pre-test (P = 0.03), while their increased relative O2Hb on the complex condition showed a distinct trend toward significance (P = 0.09). MCT and HIIT participants exhibited decreased brain activation during the Stroop task, with MCT showing a significant increase in relative deoxy-haemoglobin (HHb) compared to pre-test during the naming and executive Stroop conditions (P < 0.05). The HIIT group improved significantly in walking endurance (P = 0.04).

Conclusion

Sixteen weeks of exercise training resulted in more efficient cerebral oxygenation during cortical activation compared to a no-exercise control group. Furthermore, HIIT and MCT were superior to RT for task-efficient cerebral oxygenation and improved oxygen utilization during cortical activation in older individuals.

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Abbreviations

ΜMol:

Micromol

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BMI:

Body mass index

CON:

Control

ES:

Effect size

Hb:

Haemoglobin

HHb:

Deoxy-haemoglobin

HIIT:

High-intensity interval training

LPFC:

Left prefrontal cortex

MCT:

Moderate continuous training

MoCA:

Montreal cognitive assessment

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

NIR:

Near-infrared

NIRS:

Near-infrared spectroscopy

O2Hb:

Oxy-haemoglobin

P :

Probability

RM:

Repetition maximum

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

RT:

Resistance training

SD:

Standard deviation

THI:

Total haemoglobin index

THR:

Target heart rate

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Acknowledgements

The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7601, South Africa

    Carla Coetsee & Elmarie Terblanche

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  1. Carla Coetsee
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  2. Elmarie Terblanche
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Correspondence to Carla Coetsee.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Communicated by Massimo Pagani.

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Coetsee, C., Terblanche, E. Cerebral oxygenation during cortical activation: the differential influence of three exercise training modalities. A randomized controlled trial. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 1617–1627 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3651-8

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