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Resting-state blink rate does not increase following very-light-intensity exercise, but individual variation predicts
Ryuta Kuwamizu1,2, Yudai Yamazaki3, Naoki Aoike3,4
1Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8574, Japan. kuwamizu.ryuta.ft@u.tsukuba.ac.jp.
Background:
Acute physical exercise, even at a very-light-intensity, potentiates prefrontal cortex activation and improves executive function. The underlying circuit mechanisms in the brain remain poorly understood, though we speculate a potential involvement of arousal-related neuromodulatory systems. Recently, our rodent study demonstrated that exercise, even at light-intensity, activates the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Resting-state spontaneous eye blink rate is linked to brain-arousal neural circuits, and potentially to those modulated by dopaminergic system. We hypothesized that neural substrates linked to resting-state eye blink rate contribute to the cognitive impact of acute very-light-intensity exercise.
Method:
We analyzed data from a previous study with a renewed focus on resting-state eye blink rate. Twenty-four healthy young adults completed both 10 min of cycling (very-light-intensity exercise: 30% peak oxygen uptake) and rest conditions. Resting-state eye blink rate and Stroop task performance were measured before and after both exercise and resting control.
Results:
Results showed no significant differences in eye blink rate changes between conditions. However, correlation analyses revealed that exercise-induced changes in resting-state eye blink rate were significantly associated with individual variations in Stroop task performance enhancement.
Conclusion:
Very-light-intensity exercise does not elicit a consistent increase in eye blink rate after exercise. This finding does not support the involvement of a blink increase-linked neural substrate in enhancing executive function through very-light-intensity exercise. However, resting-state eye blink rate that is altered by exercise is predictive of executive function enhancement levels; this may serve as a novel contactless biomarker for predicting exercise benefits for brain health and cognition.
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