Authors
Cemre Can Akkaya, Canan Ceylan
Published in
Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1911856. Epub Aug 03, 2026.
Abstract
Physical exercise triggers coordinated neurobiological responses. This study compared the acute effects of high-intensity intermittent (basketball) versus moderate-intensity continuous (tennis) exercise on serum irisin, BDNF, and NRF2 levels, and on working memory and inhibitory control in sedentary young adults (18-25 years).
Sixty sedentary male participants (n = 20 per group) completed basketball, tennis, or passive control protocols. Serum biomarkers were quantified by ELISA pre- and post-exercise. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Digit Span and Stroop Color-Word Tests. Non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn-Bonferroni) were applied, with a linear mixed-effects model used as a supplementary robustness check for serum irisin.
Both exercise groups showed significant within-group increases in all biomarkers and cognitive measures (p < 0.001), with no changes in controls (p > 0.05). Basketball produced greater irisin (+41.9% vs. +30.5%), BDNF (+63.9% vs. +29.9%), NRF2 (+73.5% vs. +47.1%), and cognitive improvements than tennis (all p < 0.01).
Acute high-intensity intermittent exercise elicits significantly stronger neurotrophic, antioxidant, and cognitive responses than moderate-intensity continuous exercise in sedentary young adults, consistent with intensity-dependent activation of the muscle-brain axis; sport-specific motor and cognitive-load differences may also contribute and cannot be fully disentangled from metabolic intensity in the present design.
PMID:
42609471
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Aug 2026.
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