fNIRS and exercise-induced executive function improvements in older adults

• A 3-month mild cycle-exercise RCT in middle-aged/older adults (n=81; 3×/week) improved Stroop interference reaction times, with fNIRS-measured gains in prefrontal neural efficiency strongest in the older subgroup (GeroScience, 2023).¹
• A systematic review of 29 fNIRS exercise studies links interventions to oxy-Hb changes in prefrontal and motor cortex associated with inhibitory control and working memory (Frontiers in Psychology, 2024).²
• Together these support fNIRS as a practical neuroimaging readout for aging and exercise–cognition trials, including during or around motion-heavy protocols.¹²

Footnotes

1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-00816-3 ↩ ↩²

2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1327822 ↩ ↩²