Is intense physical exercise detrimental for cognition? A novel approach based on subjective, behavioral and physiological responses to a cognitive effort to failure to failure

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/tb7qm_v3
• Publication Date: 2025-02-17T18:55:45Z
• Authors: Darias Holgado; Ludovic Leubaz; Paolo Ruggeri; Guillermo Borragán; Antonio Luque-Casado; Tristan Bekinschtein; Daniel Sanabria; Nicolas Place

Background Most previous research has investigated whether performing a demanding cognitive task reduces the time person can hold subsequent physical effort. However, no if an intense exercise complete with adequate level of performance. The aim this study was to assess subjective, behavioral and physiological responses on posterior tak until failure.Methods In pre-registered, within-participant experiment, 29 active participants performed failure after either running exhaustion at 90% maximal aerobic speed or walking for 10 minutes (control). Brain activity recorded via EEG, brain complexity measured, subjective experience assessed using Temporal Experience Tracing (TET) method. ResultsPhysical reduced force capacity increased perceived exertion compared control, highlighting significant workload differences. Cognitive durations were 4755.8 s (95% CI: 3326.8–5107.8) 4308.2 3902.9–5481.2) control experimental conditions, difference (BF10 = 0.329). Subjective analysis revealed two task-demand clusters, but spent in these states similar across conditions. performance better during phases low demands. decreased effort, suggesting shift, though feelings remained unaffected.ConclusionThere evidence that short negatively affected participants' ability sustain effort failure.