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EXPLORING THE COGNITIVE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Research has shown that acute physical activity results in small-to-moderate improvements in cognitive function. Specifically, acute exercise seems to benefit higher-order cognitive functions, such as executive function, which has been reported to play a critical role in numerous aspects of life including physical and mental health. Recent research on the acute physical activity and executive function relationship has started to assess moderators, such as the setting or environmental context of the physical activity, to determine whether laboratory-based findings generalize to more naturalistic environments. PURPOSE: This study assessed the moderating effects of environment on executive function by comparing the effects of a single, 15-min bout of light physical activity on executive function performed indoors and outdoors. METHODS: Using a within-subjects crossover posttest design, 28 individuals (57% female; age range=18-32 years) completed two study visits in a counterbalanced order: a 15-min bout of walking indoors and a 15-min bout of walking outdoors. Following each bout, executive function was measured during a modified go/no-go experimental paradigm while an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Executive function was assessed using behavioral performance (response accuracy and reaction time [RT]) and the P3 event-related potential (ERP) indicators. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to test differences in these measures by condition. RESULTS: There were no effects of condition on task performance (i.e., response accuracy or RT; ps > .405). For the P3 ERP, there was a condition main effect, F(1, 27) = 4.67, p = .040, partial-η2 = .15, such that there was an increased P3 amplitude following the outdoor compared to indoor walk. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that while a brief bout of light physical activity does not differentially impact behavioral measures of executive function based on environmental context, walking outdoors may enhance neural markers of executive function processing, as indicated by an increased P3 amplitude. This effect may reflect greater attentional resource allocation following outdoor physical activity. Future work should determine the time-course of these effects and whether they vary by intensity, duration, or population.

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