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Brain activity during self-paced vs. fixed protocols in graded exercise testing

Experimental Brain Research volume 237, pages 3273–3279 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Electroencephalography research surrounding maximal exercise testing has been limited to male subjects. Additionally, studies have used open-looped protocols, meaning individuals do not know the exercise endpoint. Closed-loop protocols are often shown to result in optimal performance as self-pacing is permitted. The purpose of this study was to compare brain activity during open- and closed-loop maximal exercise protocols, and to determine if any sex differences are present. Twenty-seven subjects (12 males, ages 22.0 ± 2.5 years) participated in this study. A pre-assembled EEG sensor strip was used to collect brain activity from specific electrodes (F3/F4: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or dlPFC; and C3/Cz/C4: motor cortex, or MC). Alpha (8–12 Hz) and beta (12–30 Hz) frequency bands were analyzed. Subjects completed two maximal exercise tests on a cycle ergometer, separated by at least 48 h: a traditional, open-loop graded exercise test (GXT) and a closed-loop self-paced VO2max (SPV) test. Mixed model ANOVAs were performed to compare power spectral density (PSD) between test protocols and sexes. A significant interaction of time and sex was shown in the dlPFC for males, during the GXT only (p = 001), where a peak was reached and then a decrease was shown. A continuous increase was shown in the SPV. Sex differences in brain activity during exercise could be associated with inhibitory control, which is a function of the dlPFC. Knowledge of an exercise endpoint could be influential towards cessation of exercise and changes in cortical brain activity.

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Funding

No funding was provided for this study.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Performance and Health Education, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Rachel M. Dykstra, Nicholas J. Hanson & Michael G. Miller

Authors
  1. Rachel M. Dykstra
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  2. Nicholas J. Hanson
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  3. Michael G. Miller
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Correspondence to Rachel M. Dykstra.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional committee (Western Michigan University Human Subjects International Review Board + IRB00000254) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Communicated by Francesco Laquaniti.

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Dykstra, R.M., Hanson, N.J. & Miller, M.G. Brain activity during self-paced vs. fixed protocols in graded exercise testing. Exp Brain Res 237, 3273–3279 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-019-05669-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-019-05669-x

Keywords

  • Electroencephalography
  • GXT
  • Perceptual regulation
  • Inhibitory control