Does a Single Bout of Aerobic Exercise Improve Set Shifting in Healthy Young Adults? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether acute aerobic exercise improves subsequent set shifting performance in healthy young individuals. Potential moderation of studies' methodological quality and exercise intensity, as well as the presence of small-study effect was also examined. Studies were identified using electronic databases Medline, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus, as well as references of recent meta-analyses and references of included studies. In total, 12 studies were included into qualitative synthesis. Eleven studies that contained data from 1,189 healthy young individuals were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The effect size of each trial was calculated as bias corrected Hedges' g standardized mean difference. A random-effects model was used to pool outcomes across studies. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate influence of outliers and of studies with mixtures of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were used to examine moderation. A small to moderate significant beneficial effect of acute aerobic exercise on subsequent set shifting performance compared to control (Hedges' g = -.26, 95 % CI -.49 to -.02, p = .03) with large true heterogeneity was revealed (I 2 = 70.9%, Q=44.61, p<.0001). Results became homogenous when two outliers were removed from the analysis (I 2 =0%, Q=6.52, p=.84) while summary effect size estimate stayed comparable (Hedges' g = -.23, 95 % CI -.38 to -.-.08, p = .003). Studies' methodological quality and exercise intensity did not modify effect size estimates. There was no indication of small-study effect detected. This review shows that even healthy young adults, who are at the peak of their physiological and cognitive capacities, show improved set shifting performance following a single bout of aerobic exercise. The results indicate that these effects are not due to methodological shortcomings, exercise intensity, or small-study effect. The results indirectly support the conclusion that these effects are a result of physiological and/or psychological adaptations to the exercise.

The Effects of Single-Bout Exercise Interventions with Different Exercise Modalities on Executive Function in Youths

“…This further supports our assumption of the linkage between OSE and executive function. However, the opposite result was shown in a previous study [ 65 , 66 ]. Morava et al [ 65 ] found no effect after a single bout of aerobic exercise in task-switching performance under pressure situations.…”