A Single Bout of Passive Exercise Mitigates a Mental Fatigue-Induced Inhibitory Control Deficit
Abstract
Sustained attention elicits mental fatigue and impairs inhibitory control, whereas a single bout of active or passive exercise (i.e., < 60-min) improves inhibitory control. It is, however, unclear whether a single bout of passive exercise mitigates the negative impact of mental fatigue on inhibitory control. Here, participants (N=27) completed separate 20-min sessions of the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) to induce mental fatigue while completing a passive-cycle ergometry exercise intervention (via mechanically driven flywheel) or a non-exercise control. Inhibitory control was assessed via pro- and antisaccade trials completed prior to, immediately after, and 30-min post-PVT, and subjective ratings of mental fatigue were examined throughout the protocol. Results showed that the PVT induced mental fatigue in both passive-exercise and control conditions; however, passive exercise negated a post-PVT inhibitory control deficit. Accordingly, these data suggests that an acute bout of passive cycling may mitigate the deleterious effects of mental fatigue on executive function.