The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and inhibitory control following acute stress: An ERP study

• Published in: Psychophysiology 2024-09, Vol.61 (9), p.e14592-n/a
• Main Authors: Chu, Chien‐Heng, Huang, I‐Lun, Hillman, Charles H., Chen, Nai‐Chi, Yu, Jeffrey, Hung, Chen‐Sin, Chen, Feng‐Tzu, Chang, Yu‐Kai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acute stress; Adult; Cardiorespiratory fitness; Cardiorespiratory Fitness - physiology; Cognitive ability; EEG; Electroencephalography; Event-related potentials; event‐related potential; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Humans; Inhibition, Psychological; inhibitory control; Maastricht Acute Stress Test; Male; Reaction Time - physiology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Stroop Test; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1469-8986; 1469-8986; 1540-5958
• DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14592

Although the relationships among acute stress, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and cognitive function have been examined, whether CRF is related to behavioral and neuroelectric indices of inhibitory control following acute stress remains unknown. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the combined influence of acute stress and CRF on inhibitory control. Participants, aged 20–30 years, were stratified into the Higher‐Fit (n = 31) and the Lower‐Fit (n = 32) groups, and completed a Stroop task following the modified Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST) in the stress condition and the sham‐MAST in the non‐stress condition, during which electroencephalography was recorded. Behavioral (i.e., response time and accuracy) and neuroelectric (N2 and P3b components of the event‐related potential) outcomes of inhibitory control were obtained. While the Higher‐Fit group demonstrated shorter response times and higher accuracy than the Lower‐Fit group following both the MAST and the sham‐MAST, they also exhibited selective benefits of acute stress on inhibitory control performance (i.e., decreased response times and diminished interference scores). CRF‐dependent alterations in neuroelectric indices were also observed, with the Higher‐Fit group displaying smaller N2 and greater P3b amplitudes than the Lower‐Fit group following the sham‐MAST, and increased N2 and attenuated P3b amplitudes following the MAST. Collectively, these findings not only confirm the positive relationship between CRF and inhibitory control but also provide novel insights into the potential influence of CRF on inhibitory control and associated neuroelectric activity following acute stress. Distinct from previous research that analyzed the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and acute stress on inhibitory control in isolation, our research innovatively examined the relationship between CRF and inhibitory control after acute stress. Our findings revealed that individuals with higher CRF not only inherently possess superior inhibitory control than those with lower CRF under non‐stress conditions but also demonstrate markedly enhanced performance after acute stress. This advancement in understanding the multifaceted relationship between CRF and inhibitory control under varying stress conditions paves the way for the development of targeted strategies to leverage CRF to optimize inhibitory control in stress‐prone environments.