Acute Effects of Physical Activity on Cognition and Well-being in University Students

NCT06168526 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: UJI-B2022-37CIGE/2021/053
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Previous studies in young adults have shown that physical activity can generate positive emotions and improve attention, among other cognitive functions. This highlights the importance of evaluating how physical activity can affect cognition and affective dimensions. However, to date, the dose of physical activity that could be most effective for these variables has not been established. This project aims to study the impact of acute physical activity on brain health in a university setting. Thus, this study will contribute to expand the current scientific literature on the acute effect of physical activity, a topic of great importance both in the educational field and from a public health point of view.

Conditions

Cognitive Change; Well-Being, Psychological

Keywords

Young adults; Acute physical activity; Attention; Positive affect; Negative affect

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Attention (cognition)

  The participants will take the d2-R test to measure their attention. The test shows different rows of randomly mixed letters from which the target symbol is a "d" with two dashes. The participants must select all the "d" with two dashes while ignoring all the other symbols.

  10 minutes before and 10 minutes after the intervention protocol

• Positive and negative affect (wellbeing)

  In order to assess the positive and negative affect, the participants will take the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). It is a self-report measure that is made up of two mood scales, one measuring positive affect (the scores ranging from 10 to 50, with higher scores meaning better wellbeing) and the other measuring negative affect (the scores ranging from 10 to 50, with higher scores meaning worse wellbeing).

  10 minutes before and 10 minutes after intervention protocol

Study Arms (2)

Acute physical activity

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants in the experimental activity groups will perform an interval physical activity of different intensity for 16 minutes. The intensity will be controlled during the test by the monitorization of their heart rate using a heart rate monitor. Subsequently, participants will perform an active break in the classroom after finishing one of their usual theory sessions at the intensity of physical activity that proves to have the greatest benefits for cognition and well-being.

Behavioral: Acute physical activity

Control

NO INTERVENTION

The control condition will consist in sitting in silence without any cognitive stimulation.

Interventions

Acute physical activity BEHAVIORAL

Regarding the first aim, participants will go through five different conditions using a within-participants cross-over design in a randomized order: control group (quietly sitting), light intensity (40% VO2max), moderate intensity (63% VO2max), or vigorous intensity (100% VO2max) exercise. All conditions will last 16 minutes and 15 seconds. The exercise conditions will be organized following an interval protocol, which includes 22 bouts of 30 seconds running at the established intensity with 15 seconds of passive rest between bouts. In addition, to achieve the second aim, the active break will be designed taking into account the intensity of physical activity that proves to have the greatest benefits on cognition and well-being. It will include 12 blocks of 30 seconds of work, performing as many repetitions as possible, followed by 15 seconds of static rest. It will last last 9 minutes and will be conducted after a 2-hour lecture. During the active rest period, heart rate will be moni

Acute physical activity

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Not to be diagnosed with psychological and/or cognitive alterations or pathologies that may limit the understanding and following of the instructions provided by another person.
• Not to suffer physical alterations that may limit the practice of physical activity.
• To be between 18 and 24 years old.

You may not qualify if:

• To be diagnosed with psychological and/or cognitive alterations or pathologies that may limit the understanding and following of the instructions provided by another person.
• To suffer physical alterations that may limit the practice of physical activity.
• Not to be between 18 and 24 years old.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitat Jaume I: lead

Study Sites (1)

University Jaume I

Castellon, Castellón, 12071, Spain

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Chan JSY, Liu G, Liang D, Deng K, Wu J, Yan JH. Special Issue - Therapeutic Benefits of Physical Activity for Mood: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Exercise Intensity, Duration, and Modality. J Psychol. 2019;153(1):102-125. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2018.1470487. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

  PMID: 30321106 BACKGROUND

• Diener E. Subjective well-being. Psychol Bull. 1984 May;95(3):542-75. No abstract available.

  PMID: 6399758 BACKGROUND

• Schmitt A, Upadhyay N, Martin JA, Rojas S, Struder HK, Boecker H. Modulation of Distinct Intrinsic Resting State Brain Networks by Acute Exercise Bouts of Differing Intensity. Brain Plast. 2019 Dec 26;5(1):39-55. doi: 10.3233/BPL-190081.

  PMID: 31970059 BACKGROUND

• Leger L, Boucher R. An indirect continuous running multistage field test: the Universite de Montreal track test. Can J Appl Sport Sci. 1980 Jun;5(2):77-84.

  PMID: 7389053 BACKGROUND

• Ludyga S, Ishihara T, Kamijo K. The Nervous System as a Pathway for Exercise to Improve Social Cognition. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2022 Oct 1;50(4):203-212. doi: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000300. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

  PMID: 35749761 BACKGROUND

• Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988 Jun;54(6):1063-70. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063.

  PMID: 3397865 BACKGROUND

• Erickson KI, Hillman C, Stillman CM, Ballard RM, Bloodgood B, Conroy DE, Macko R, Marquez DX, Petruzzello SJ, Powell KE; FOR 2018 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE*. Physical Activity, Cognition, and Brain Outcomes: A Review of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jun;51(6):1242-1251. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001936.

  PMID: 31095081 BACKGROUND

• Ludyga S, Gerber M, Brand S, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Puhse U. Acute effects of moderate aerobic exercise on specific aspects of executive function in different age and fitness groups: A meta-analysis. Psychophysiology. 2016 Nov;53(11):1611-1626. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12736. Epub 2016 Aug 24.

  PMID: 27556572 BACKGROUND

• Brickenkamp, R., Schmidt-Atzert, L., & Liepmann, D. d2-R. Test de Atención - Revisado. TEA Ediciones. 2022.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Maria Reyes Beltran Valls, PhD

  Universitat Jaume I

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: The assignment to the different conditions will be carried out using a random number generation program stratifying by sex (i.e., the randomizer.org tool).
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: The study will be carried out following a crossover design with comparisons between the subjects, in which the cognition and the affective dimensions will be analysed before and after each experimental condition (acute exercise vs. sedentary control).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2023
• First Posted: December 13, 2023
• Study Start: March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: January 31, 2025
• Study Completion: March 15, 2026
• Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (1)