Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects of Inhibition—The Effects of Acute Cardiovascular Exercise

Abstract

This review summarizes behavioral and neurophysiological aspects of inhibitory control affected by a single bout of cardiovascular exercise. The review also examines the effect of a single bout of cardiovascular exercise on these processes in young adults with a focus on the functioning of prefrontal pathways (including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and elements of the prefrontal-basal ganglia pathways). Finally, the review offers an overview on the potential effects of cardiovascular exercise on GABA-ergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in the adult brain and propose mechanisms or processes that may mediate these effects. The main findings show that a single bout of cardiovascular exercise can enhance inhibitory control. In addition, acute exercise appears to facilitate activation of prefrontal brain regions that regulate excitatory and inhibitory pathways (specifically but not exclusively the prefrontal-basal-ganglia pathways) which appear to be impaired in older age. Based on the reviewed studies, we suggest that future work examine the beneficial effects of exercise on the inhibitory networks in the aging brain.

Aerobic exercise training selectively improves cortical inhibitory function after stroke

“…3,9 Thus, the present findings build upon previous studies of acute, exercise-induced neuroplasticity post-stroke, suggesting a shift from a generalized to a more specific effect on inhibition over time with repeated exposure to aerobic exercise training. The present inhibitory specificity of habitual exercise training in stroke is consistent with previous reports in neurotypical populations of young 11,12,43 and older adults. 44–46 For example, older adults with and without Parkinson’s disease demonstrated selectively improved cognitive inhibitory control following a 3-month aerobic exercise intervention.…”

“…9,10 Among several domains of cognitive executive function (e.g., response inhibition, response facilitation, cognitive flexibility, planning and execution), aerobic exercise may most strongly benefit response inhibitory control that engages inhibitory cortical networks. [11][12][13][14] The potential for aerobic exercise to improve inhibitory control is of particular interest in people after stroke who demonstrate degraded cortical inhibitory function, [15][16][17][18] which is linked to cognitive and motor dysfunction. [15][16][17][18] Given the well-established benefits of aerobic exercise for cardiovascular health, the effect of exercise training on persistent behavioral deficits and the dysfunctional cortical neurophysiology underlying these deficits after stroke remains elusive.…”

The Effects of Combined Physical and Cognitive Training on Inhibitory Control: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…However, over the last decade there has been a rapid increase in evidence demonstrating that regular patterns of human behaviour have major effects on neurocognitive systems ( Levin, Netz & Ziv, 2021 ; Stillman et al, 2016 ). With this insight has come growing interest in the capacity of behavioural interventions, such as cognitive training and physical training, to potentially improve inhibitory control.…”

Impact of interhemispheric inhibition on bimanual movement control in young and old

“…Given the demographic development in modern societies, understanding and preventing this decline, even supporting adaptive processes, are of outmost importance. For example, it has been suggested that physical exercises and non-invasive brain stimulation of prefrontal cortex could modulate inhibitory interactions (Verstraelen et al 2020 ; Levin et al 2021 ), which might improve not only bimanual movement control but also inhibitory control in general in older adults.…”