Audiovisual temporal integration during acute aerobic exercise

Audiovisual temporal integration refers to the integration of audiovisual information that appears within a certain time range into a unitary event. In recent years, most studies have found that acute aerobic exercise can enhance individual cognitive functions, such as improving the speed and accuracy of reaction, improving working memory and reaction inhibition ability. However, most studies focus on the cognitive benefits after exercise, but there are few studies focusing on the changes in cognitive function during exercise.Therefore, a mixed design of 2(groups: moderate-intensity group/vigorous-intensity group) × 2(session: pre-test/post-test) × 7(stimulus onset asynchrony: 0, ±150 ms, ±250 ms, ±350 ms) was adopted. We used simultaneity judgement task to explore the impact of exercise and exercise intensity on the cognitive function of audiovisual temporal integration.The results found that compared to the sedentary condition, participants in both exercise groups performed significantly better on cognitive tasks during exercise on two metrics: the RT and simultaneity judgment ratio, indicating superior audiovisual temporal integration, while no significant differences were seen on the rapid temporal recalibration metric. The results of this study further confirmed the cognitive benefits of acute aerobic exercise on ordinary people, which could be an empirical evidence of exercise prescriptions for some special populations who have cross-modal perception deficits in this aspect.