High-intensity exercise has recently emerged as a potent alternative to aerobic regimens, with ramifications for health and brain function. As part of this trend, single sessions of intense exercise have been proposed as powerful, noninvasive means for transiently enhancing cognition. However, findings in this field remain mixed, and a thorough synthesis of the evidence is lacking. Here, we synthesized the literature in a meta-analysis of the acute effect of high-intensity exercise on executive function. We included a total of 1,177 participants and 147 effect sizes across 28 studies and found a small facilitating effect (d = 0.24) of high-intensity exercise on executive function. However, this effect was significant only compared with rest (d = 0.34); it was not significant when high-intensity exercise was compared with low-to-moderate intensity exercise (d = 0.07). This suggests that intense and moderate exercise affect executive function in a comparable manner. We tested a number of moderators that together explained a significant proportion of the between-studies variance. Overall, our findings indicate that high-intensity cardiovascular exercise might be a viable alternative for eliciting acute cognitive gains. We discuss the potential of this line of research, identify a number of challenges and limitations it faces, and propose applications to individuals, society, and policies.

中文翻译：

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高强度运动对执行功能的急性影响：一项荟萃分析。

最近，高强度运动已经成为有氧运动的有效替代品，对健康和脑功能产生了影响。作为这种趋势的一部分，已经提出，单次剧烈运动是暂时增强认知的有力，非侵入性手段。然而，该领域的发现仍然是混杂的，并且缺乏对证据的全面综合。在这里，我们综合分析了高强度运动对执行功能的急性影响的荟萃分析。我们在28项研究中纳入了1,177名参与者和147种效应量，发现高强度运动对执行功能的促进作用很小（d = 0.24）。然而，仅与休息相比，该效应是显着的（d = 0.34）；当将高强度运动与中低强度运动进行比较时，差异不显着（d = 0.07）。这表明剧烈和中度运动会以类似的方式影响执行功能。我们测试了许多主持人，他们共同解释了研究之间差异的很大一部分。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，高强度的心血管锻炼可能是引发急性认知障碍的可行替代方法。我们讨论了这一研究领域的潜力，确定了它面临的许多挑战和局限性，并提出了适用于个人，社会和政策的建议。我们测试了许多主持人，他们共同解释了研究之间差异的很大一部分。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，高强度的心血管锻炼可能是引发急性认知障碍的可行替代方法。我们讨论了这一研究领域的潜力，确定了它面临的许多挑战和局限性，并提出了适用于个人，社会和政策的建议。我们测试了许多主持人，他们共同解释了研究之间差异的很大一部分。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，高强度的心血管锻炼可能是引发急性认知障碍的可行替代方法。我们讨论了这一研究领域的潜力，确定了它面临的许多挑战和局限性，并提出了适用于个人，社会和政策的建议。