Is there an acute exercise-induced physiological/biochemical threshold which triggers increased speed of cognitive functioning? A meta-analytic investigation

Purpose： The purpose of this study was to examine, using meta-analytic measures, the evidence regarding the optimal exercise intensity at which improvements in speed of cognitive function are triggered. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the catecholamine, lactate, and ventilatory thresholds is the point at which significant improvements in speed of cognitive function are observed. Methods： We compared mean effect sizes for threshold studies and for those studies where exercise intensity was classed as moderate （40%-- 79% VO2 or equivalent） but in which the thresholds were not measured. Results： Random effects meta-analysis showed significant, moderate, mean effect sizes for studies at the threshold （g = 0.58, Z = 2.98, p 〈 0.003） and for those during moderate intensity exercise but in which the threshold was not measured （ g = 0.54, Z = 5.0l, p 〈 0.001）. There was no significant difference between mean effect sizes, which suggests that the thresholds are unlikely to represent a trigger point. Conclusion： Moderate intensity exercise, even below the thresholds, can induce improved speed of cognition, possibly due to a combination of increased peripheral catecholamine concentrations inducing vagal/nucleus tractus solitarii pathway activation and central increases due to perceptions of stress.

Effects of Additional Rifle-Carriage Training on Physiological Markers and Roller-Skiing Performance in Well-Trained Biathletes

Purpose The purpose was to investigate whether an increased amount of training while carrying the rifle affects skiing in well-trained biathletes at submaximal and maximal workloads during a pre-season period lasting a minimum of 12 weeks.Methods Seventeen well-trained biathletes(9 females,8 males)were assigned to an intervention(IG,n=10)or control(CG,n=7)group.Before(T1)and after(T2)the training intervention all participants performed,using treadmill roller-skiing,a submaximal test without the rifle on one day and two submaximal workloads and a maximal time trial(TT)with the rifle on a subsequent day.Between T1 and T2 all participants performed a minimum of 12 weeks of normal training,the only difference between groups being that IG performed more of their training sessions carrying the rifle.Results IG performed more training compared to CG(15.4±1.1 vs.11.2±2.6 h/week,P<0.05),including a higher amount of training with the rifle(3.1±0.6 vs.1.1±0.3 h/week,P<0.001).Speed at 4 mmol/L of blood lactate increased significantly for CG from T1 to T2(P=0.028),while only tended to increase for IG(P=0.058).Performance during the TT,VO2max and the aerobic metabolic rate increased significantly from T1 to T2,although the differences disappeared when including the speed at baseline as a covariate.Conclusion According to the present results,increasing training while carrying the rifle by 2 h/week does not appear to improve skiing performance in well-trained biathletes.In addition,physiological markers at submaximal and maximal intensities while carrying the rifle were not affected after the training intervention.