Study On The Effects Of Exercise Intervention On Inhibitory Control And 5-HT In College Students

Background:Inhibitory control is thought to be a core component of executive function.Poor development of inhibitory control causes severe impairments in an individuals’ emotions,cognitive ability,behavior and physical development,and can lead to a decrease in social functioning.There is mounting evidence in the literature indicating that physical exercise is associated with better inhibitory control performance.During the past two decades,exploring the physical exercise and progression mechanisms of inhibitory control become a popular topic of research.At present,lots of hypotheses have been suggested,such as neurotransmitter hypothesis,brain plasticity mechanisms and arousal and mood hypothesis.However,the molecular biological mechanism is still unclear.Within the brain 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)is widely distributed because it is an important neurotransmitter whose corresponding signal pathway participates in the physiological activities of the brain.This makes it have a profound impact on inhibitory control.Some studies find that exercise may directly alter CNS biochemistry,such as by affecting levels of 5-HT,thus influencing inhibitory control.The above evidence prompts us to probe the potential biological mechanisms.Objective:This study intends to take college students aged between 18 and 20 years as the research object,and to explore the effects of exercise intervention on inhibitory control in early adulthood with the entry point of 5-HT.Moreover,it also helps the researchers in providing scientific evidences for the relationships between exercise,neurotransmitter and inhibitory control.Research methods:55 freshmen were recruited from a university in Yangzhou re randomly divided into control group(n=26)and experimental group(n=29).The experimental group received aerobic fitness training for 9 weeks,while the control group received routine daily life.The changes of 5-HT and performance in inhibitory control before and after exercise intervention were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and measurement tool of inhibitory control developed by Aiguo Chen.Results:(1)9-week exercise intervention significantly improved the response time in the incongruent condition of the inhibitory control task[F(1,53)=29.54,P<0.001,partial η2=0.36]in early adulthood.(2)9-week exercise intervention significantly increased the level of 5-HT[F(1,53)=4.88,P=0.03,partial η2=0.08]in early adulthood.(3)After 9-week exercise intervention,there was a significant negative correlation between 5-HT and exercise intervention(r=0.37,P=0.04).Conclusions:(1)9-week exercise intervention could improve inhibitory control in early adulthood.(2)9-week exercise intervention significantly increased the level of 5-HT.(3)The molecular biological mechanism of exercise intervention to improve inhibition control of college students may involve the change of 5-HT level.