Acute effects of high-intensity interval training on inhibitory control and prefrontal network topology in...

Problematic social media use (PSMU) is associated with impaired inhibitory control and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) dysfunction. This randomized controlled study with stratified randomization investigated the acute effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on inhibitory control in college students with PSMU. Fifty-four participants were assigned to HIIT, MICT, or control groups (CONs). Prefrontal activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a social cue-embedded Go/NoGo task. Graph theoretical and network-based statistical analyses evaluated brain network topology. HIIT reduced reaction time (RT) more than the CON (mean difference = 25.61 ms, 95% CI [0.23, 51.00]), whereas MICT showed within-group improvement without a significant advantage over control. No significant group differences were observed for omission or commission errors (CEs). HIIT increased small-world indices (aSigma and aGamma), enhanced degree centrality (aDC) and nodal efficiency (aNE) in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and strengthened functional connectivity centered on the right DLPFC. In contrast, MICT produced localized network changes without coherent prefrontal-wide connectivity reorganization. Exploratory analyses indicated that greater smartphone addiction severity (SAS) was associated with larger HIIT-induced network topological changes, although these findings are preliminary and require replication. These findings suggest that a single HIIT session may improve inhibitory control through transient reorganization of prefrontal brain networks in individuals with PSMU, with responsiveness potentially influenced by baseline addiction severity.