Influence of physical and cognitive exertion on executive function during acute physical activity: behavioral and ERP evidence

Purpose While previous research has explored the cognitive benefits of integrated physical and cognitive interventions, the contributions of physical exertion (PE) and cognitive exertion (CE), particularly their interactive effects, remain insufficiently investigated. This study employs a factorial framework to investigate the effects of varying PE and CE levels on executive functions and related neurophysiological mechanisms. Methods A 2 × 2 mixed-factorial design was conducted. 24 male adults completed an acute physical activity intervention involving different levels of PE and CE. Inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility were assessed alongside EEG and sLORETA source localisation. Results A significant interaction was observed, with the high-PE + high-CE condition showing the greatest benifits in response speed for both the inhibition and the working memory task. No significant effects were were detected, either in response time or in terms of accuracy for cognitive flexibility. This pattern was accompanied by increased N2 and P3 amplitudes, which were consistent with enhanced conflict monitoring and attentional resource allocation. Source localisation analyses suggested greater engagement of frontoparietal regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and parietal cortices, under the high-PE + high-CE condition. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that physical and cognitive exertion may interact to influence executive function outcomes and associated neural responses. The findings suggest that higher levels of cognitive engagement during physical activity may enhance executive function performance and activate neural responses, although these effects appear to depend on the specific cognitive domain assessed.