The Effects of Externally Paced Exercise on Executive Function and Stress in College-Aged Students

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate the acute effect of a beginner martial art class and aerobic exercise on executive function(EF)in college-aged young adults.There is overwhelming evidence that demonstrates acute as well as long-term aerobic exercise improves EF.Nevertheless,there is limited research comparing externally paced exercise(EPE)to self-paced exercise(SPE)such as walking on improving EF.EPE requires greater cortical demand than SPE to execute a motor plan.Methods Eight men and eight women,aged 24.2±2.8 years,participated in a Repeated Measures Crossover Design.Pre-and post-testing of EF with the Stroop and Tower of London(ToL)and stress level were measured after each of the two 1-h conditions:the SPE consisted of a walk(aerobic exercise)and the EPE was a beginner martial art class.Results There were significant main effects for the martial art class for the Stroop’s mean reaction time for congruent trials(P=0.01)with a large-effect size.The mean reaction time for incongruent trials was significant(P=0.05)with a medium-effect size.The ToL’s mean solution time(P=0.003)and mean execution time(P=0.002)were also significant with large-effect sizes.Stress levels were not significantly improved following either condition.Conclusion The martial art class significantly improved all the major domains of EF,while aerobic exercise of a similar intensity did not demonstrate any measured significant changes.The physiological benefits of physical exercise are well documented;however,the cognitive enhancing capability of EPE should also be appreciated given the results of this study.