Effect of Acute Exercise on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

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The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of acute exercise on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test with different intensities. Sixty college students voluntarily participated in this study, and randomly assigned into control, low, moderate and high intensity exercise groups. All participants were instructed to perform the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test while performing the acute exercise with different intensities. The indices of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, including Number of Categories Completed, Perseverative Responses, Percent Conceptual Level Responses and Failure to Maintain Set scores were recorded. These indices represented the working memory, problem solving and attention. The results from this study revealed that participants' Perseverative Responses, Number of Categories Completed and Conceptual Level Responses were significantly reduced with high intensity exercise, while no differences were found with low and moderate exercise intensities. In addition, no difference was noticed on Failure to Maintain Set in all exercise intensity groups. Our findings concluded that working memory and problem solving were impaired during high intensity exercise, but not affected during low and moderate intensity exercise performance. Furthermore, participants' attention was not affected with all exercise intensities. To sum up, high intensity exercise effect supported the transient hypofrontality theory, whereas, prefrontal oxygenation, cerebral metabolic ratio and fitness were able to clarify the effect of low and moderate exercise intensities for stable cognitive performances in young college students.