Attentional Bias in Exercise Dependence: An ERP Study of Enhanced Early Attentional Allocation to Exercise Cues

Exercise dependence is a maladaptive pattern of excessive exercise characterized by psychological and cognitive symptoms. The existence and nature of attentional bias in individuals with exercise dependence remain unclear. This study combined behavioral measures and event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the processing of exercise-related cues in this population. The experiment compared exercise-dependent individuals (n = 21) and matched controls (n = 21) using a dot-probe task. Results demonstrated that the exercise dependence group exhibited significantly faster response times in congruent conditions and higher attentional bias scores compared to controls. ERPs data revealed enhanced N1 amplitudes in the exercise dependence group, while no significant group differences were observed in P2 amplitudes. These findings indicate that exercise-related cues automatically capture cognitive resources during the initial stages of attentional processing in dependent individuals. The study provides neurophysiological evidence that may advance the understanding of neurocognitive mechanisms underlying exercise dependence.