Acute Effect of Different Patterns of Exercise on Mood, Anxiety and Cortical Activity

Nowadays, one of the most important challenges of human beings is physical inactivity. There is evidence that a positively behavioral response, modulated by a single period of exercise can predict the level of engagement during the next six to 12 months. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three different combinations of intensity and duration of effort, on a cycle ergometer, on mood, anxiety and cortical activity of physically active young males. Ten men, aged 20 to 27 years, underwent three experimental conditions randomly (submaximal, maximal and supramaximal effort). Immediately before and after the treatments, behavior was evaluated by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scales. Standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was performed to investigate the cortical activity. While submaximal effort reduced total mood disturbance, more intense efforts (maximal and supramaximal) worsened the mood (P = 0.001). This result was more prominent in supramaximal effort. Anxiety was increased in the supramaximal effort compared to others (P = 0.006), which was not significantly different. The sLORETA analysis revealed a significant increase in high alpha and beta activity in the parahippocampal gyrus of the limbic lobe, related to brain reward system, after maximal effort (P ≤ 0.05). Acute changes in mood, anxiety and cortical activity are dependent on exercise intensity. Physically active young males, but not athletes showed positive results on subjective or neurobiological behavioral variables in submaximal and maximal efforts, respectively. This investigation could be useful to promote adherence to regular physical activity.