Executive function and

endocrinological responses to acute

resistance exercise

Oleh :
Nasya Marisyka Putri
Rimnauli Deasy Putryanti Sinaga
Ratna Ekawati
Agus Suwandi Gandra
 introduction
Aims of this study are :
1. Explore the effects of acute resistance
exercise on behavioral and electrophysiological
performance when performing a cognitive task
2. Investigate the potential biochemical mechanisms of
facilitative effects using two neurotrophic factors
[Growth Hormon (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1)] and the cortisol levels elicited by an exercise
intervention mode with two different exercise
intensities.
 The conceptual links

levels of circulating biomarkers

[e.g., cortisol, growth hormone
Resistance exercise intensity
(GH) and insulin-like growth
factor-1 (IGF-1)]
Cortisol  a primary glucocorticoid hormone, produced
by adrenal cortex  corticosteroid released in response
to stress as the endproduct of the hypothalamic-pituitary-
adreno-cortical (HPA) system .

↑ cortisol levels  related to stress  could result in

dysfunction of neuronal plasticity, neurogeneis, or
remodeling of the hippocampus, since the steroids inhibit
glucose transport in hippocampal neurons and glia.
GH  hormones that acts in opposition to
insulin as a counterregulatory and catabolic
signal, but it has comples effects on energy
metabolism in addition to its effects on other
aspects of human metabolism.
Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs) participate in
the growth and function of almost every organ
in body.
IGF-1 receptor has a high degree of homology
with the insulin receptor and also composed of
two alpha subunits and two beta subunits.
MATERIALS & METHODS
 PARTICIPANTS

60 male
(20-29 y.o)

HI (n=20) MI (n=20) NEI (n=20)

 CRITERIA
Inclusion Exclusion

• Non-smokers • Showed any symptoms of cognitive

• Right-handed impairment or depression
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (MMSE<24)
• Complete a medical history and • Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II
demographic questionnaire >13)
• Free of any psychiatric or
neurological disorders, cardiovascular
or metabolic diseases, or medication
intake that would influence CNS
functioning
• Completed the International Physical
Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the
Physical Activity Readiness
Questionnaire (PARQ)
 PROCEDURE

- Demographic data (based

on criteria)
- 2 certified fitness
1st VISIT
instructors  completed
all assessment of 1RM and
peak muscle power
 PROCEDURE

- Sit in an adjustable chair in front of a

computer screen
- Body temperature and resting HR were
Prepare:
measured
- Refrainand
- An electrocap from strenuous
electrooculographic
2nd VISIT exercisewere
(EOG) electrodes and attached
alcohol to each
intake
participants’ scalp for
and24 h before the
face
(2 days later) - Food and caffeine
cognitive were
task test
- Blood was then withdrawn
prohibited and the
for 3 h before
formal cognitive test was immediately
exercising
administered and electrophysiological
signals recorded
 Once the participants’
body temperature and
EXERCISE
HI (80% 1RM) & MI (50%
1RM)
HR had returned to
within 10% of pre-
exercise levels 
blood was
immediately
withdrawn Additional
40 min, 10 rep, 90s rest
(between sets), 2 min blood samples were
interval then taken after the
subjects had
completed the
cognitive task

NEI group: after 10 min warm up 30 min core content

the first cognitive
test they took a
rest of about 45
min, during
which they read Bench presses, Biceps
magazines, and curls, Triceps extensions,
Leg presses, Vertical
they completed
butterflies, Leg extension
the cognitive test
again
 COGNITIVE TASK PARADIGM

Go: U-B
UUUUU,BBBBB,VVVVV,DDDDD Press “M”
& “X”

Go/No-Go task +
Erikson Flanker
Paradigm
No Go: D-
V
VVUVV,DDBDD,DDVDD,BBDBB
Press (-)
 EEG
• To monitor possible artifacts due to eye
movements, horizontal and vertical bipolar
electrooculographic activity (HEOG and VEOG)
was recorded using adhesive electrodes
placed on the supero-lateral right canthus and
below and lateral to the left eye.
BLOOD SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

The blood samples were withdrawn

from the antecubital vein T3:
of immediately
serum
T1: before the 1st IGF-1, GH, and cortisol after the 2nd
cognitive task test cognitive task test

Detection
T2: before the limit:
2nd
GH: 0.002
cognitive ng/ml
task
about IGF-1:
5 min3after
ng/ml
acute exercise
RESULT
BEHAVIORAL PERFORMANCE
BIOCHEMICAL INDICES
DISCUSSION
 MECHANISM OF ACTION
• Excercise induced growth hormone (GH) and
insulin like growth factor (IGF) via exercise and
growth hormone-insulin like growth factor
axis.
• Within 15 min after excersice  plasma GH
increased
• GH  acts through autocrine and paracrine
mechanism
Cell Signaling and Communication
• Cell Signaling : cell communication with each
other, makes it possible for cells to respond in
an appropriate manner to a specific stimulus.
• Cell Signaling Classification :
1. Endocrine : molecules act on its own receptor
2. Paracrine : messenger molecules travel only
short distances
3. Autocrine : messenger molecules travel by
circulatory
Exercise Induced Rise in Hormones
 Endocrine Mechanism of GH
• GH stimulates circulating (endocrine)
Paracrine Mechanism of GH
• GH stimulates locally produced (peripheral)
IGF-I.
GH and IGH-1 Effects on Neuron
• GH and IGF-1 : trophic effects on neuronal
regeneration, both CNS and pheripheral
• GH and IGF-1 stimulates protein synthesis in
neurons, glia, oligodendrocytes, and schwans
cell
• GH and IGF-1 favor neuron survival, inhibiting
apoptosis.
GH and IGF-1 Cellular Mechanism
• Acute resistance exercise significantly increase
serum GH and IGF1 level, but not significantly
correlate with changes in behavioural and
electrophysiological performance
• Regular and Long term resistance excersice
roles beneficial effects on cognitif functioning
Cortisol - Lambourne and
Tomporowski, 2010
As the cortisol is indicative of arousal 
the participants’ level of arousal was
altered after the acute exercise
intervention

Positively affected their cognitive processes

Leading to faster RTs and a higher accuracy

rate following about of acute resistance
exercise in both MI and HI groups.
 Discussion

High levels of cortisol have a detrimental

effect on executive functions

Beneficial effects of acute RE for both MI

and HI groups in the present study 
Reduced cortisol levels
 Discussion
The post-exercise concentrations of cortisol were
significantly lower than the pre-exercise ones in both
EI groups

The cortisol concentration is modulated by acute

exercise, and significantly decreases immediately
post-exercise and for up to 1–2h post-exercise
compared to pre-exercise (Kemmler et al., 2003;
Heaney et al., 2013)

Cortisol can modulate emotional and attentive

processing
(Henckens et al.,2012)
 Discussion

Lower circulating
corticosteroid levels High circulating
Stimulus-driven response
mode to a more controlled
modulate the neural corticosteroid levels could
negatively influence the
mode
correlates of sustained function of the amygdala in Restore proper brain
functioning in the aftermath
executive networks
attention by reducing of stress
cuneus activity
 Discussion

The serum cortisol

level was found to
These findings
significantly
Suggesting that the might partly
decrease at T2 and
serum cortisol support the
T3 relative to the
levels had stabilized relationship
T1 time point, and
by at least 20min between changes in
did not significantly
after resistance cortisol levels and
change between T2
exercise. cognitive
and T3 in either EI
performance.
group in the
present study
 Discussion

The changes in Suggesting Cortisol is associated

cortisol levels were biochemical marker with an increased
significantly might be more activation of the
correlated with those sensitive to the alerting/arousal
in P3 amplitude electrophysiological component of
Not significantly index relative to the attention
correlated with the behavioral measures.
changes in RTs and
accuracy rate in
either the MI and HI
groups in the current
study
Discussion
Resting EEG has been shown to be
related to cortisol levels (Schulz et al.,
2013)

Exercise may serve to increase

neuronal synchrony, as alpha wave
activation increased after a bout of
acute exercise (Kubitz and Mott, 1996;
Kubitz and Pothakos, 1997)

Biological state (i.e., increased resting

EEG alpha power) is related to P3
potential (Bashore, 1989; Lardon and
Polich, 1996; Polich, 1997)
 Discussion
Acute exercise could change the serum cortisol
concentrations and the level of alpha wave activity, which in
turn modulate the P3 amplitude, as seen in the current study
when the participants performed a cognitive task involving
executive control after acute resistance exercise

The positive cortisol effect on P3 amplitude

induced by acute exercise in the present study
need to be explored in further experiments
using longer regimes

Previous studies have not demonstrated

the relationship between the P3
amplitude and cortisol
Levels some studies demonstrated that ERN
amplitudes predicted reduced cortisol increases
during a Stroop task (Amen et al., 2008), while higher
ERN amplitudes were associated with a greater
decrease in cortisol during a task session (Tops et al.,
2006).
• the results of the • Cortisol effects
current study  which seem to be
explain how the specific to short
reduced cortisol burst exercise,
levels following might have
acute resistance important
exercise  ramifications for
efficiently increase neurorehabilitation
the P3 amplitude after brain injury
when the and in the elderly
participants
performed the
cognitive task
 limitations
• First, there are well- documented sex-specific differences in
endocrine responses to acute resistance exercise, with higher basal
GH levels and augmented (or at least equivalent) GH responses to a
bout of acute resistance exercise found in males
• Further research is thus warranted in this area, possibly examining
the relationships between acute resistance exercise and the
neurotrophic factors in females.
• Second, since the blood samples in the current study were taken
around 2–3 h after waking, the participants would have already
experienced the large decrease in cortisol that occurs following the
cortisol awakening response, which could lead to a favorable
endocrine profile
• Third, since cortisol levels could also be influenced by an acute bout
of aerobic exercise in young males (Kanaley et al., 2001), and such
changes could affect cognitive performance (Kashihara et al., 2009),
further research should explore the correlations between these in
this context.
• since we only investigated the effects of acute exercise on the
 conclusion
• this study found that a bout of moderate- or high-
intensity resistance exercise could impact not
only behavioral (i.e., RTs and accuracy rate) but
also electrophysiological (i.e., P3 amplitude)
performance in young male adults when
performing a cognitive task involving executive
functions. Although significantly different serum
levels of neurotrophic factors (i.e., GH and IGF-1)
could be secreted with different exercise
intensities, there were no significant correlations
between changes in the two neurotrophic factors
and cognitive performance, possibly because the