Conclusions drawn from this systematic review suggest that physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with P3b modulation during cognitive control and attention tasks .
Acute and chronic physical activity interventions modulate the P3b component , suggesting short- and long-term functional adaptations occurring in the brain to support cognitive processes .
These summary findings suggest physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are beneficial to brain function and that P3b may serve as a biomarker of covert attentional processes to better underst and the relationship of physical activity and cognition
Given accumulating evidence indicating that acute and chronic physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are related to modulation of the P3b-ERP component , this systematic review provides an overview of the field across the last 30 + years and discusses future directions as the field continues to develop .
Multiple stages of information processing are modulated during acute bouts of exercise
Acute bouts of aerobic physical exercise can modulate subsequent cognitive task performance and oscillatory brain activity measured with electroencephalography ( EEG ) . Here , we investigated the sequencing of these modulations of perceptual and cognitive processes using scalp recorded EEG acquired during exercise .  Twelve participants viewed pseudo-r and om sequences  of frequent non-target stimuli ( cars ) , infrequent distractors ( obliquely oriented faces ) and infrequent targets that required a simple detection response ( obliquely oriented faces , where the angle was different than the infrequent distractors ) . The sequences were presented while seated on a stationary bike under three conditions during which scalp recorded EEG was also acquired : rest , low-intensity exercise , and high-intensity exercise .  Behavioral target detection was faster during high-intensity exercise compared to both rest and low-intensity exercise . An event-related potential ( ERP ) analysis of the EEG data revealed that the mean amplitude of the visual P1 component evoked by frequent non-targets measured at parietal-occipital electrodes was larger during low-intensity exercise compared to rest . The P1 component evoked by infrequent targets also peaked earlier during low-intensity exercise compared to rest and high-intensity exercise . The P3a ERP component evoked by infrequent distractors measured at parietal electrodes peaked significantly earlier during both low- and high-intensity exercise when compared to rest . The modulation of the visual P1 and the later P3a components is consistent with the conclusion that exercise modulates multiple stages of neural information processing , ranging from early stage sensory processing ( P1 ) to post-perceptual target categorization ( P3a )
Conclusions drawn from this systematic review suggest that physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with P3b modulation during cognitive control and attention tasks .
Acute and chronic physical activity interventions modulate the P3b component , suggesting short- and long-term functional adaptations occurring in the brain to support cognitive processes .
These summary findings suggest physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are beneficial to brain function and that P3b may serve as a biomarker of covert attentional processes to better underst and the relationship of physical activity and cognition
Given accumulating evidence indicating that acute and chronic physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are related to modulation of the P3b-ERP component , this systematic review provides an overview of the field across the last 30 + years and discusses future directions as the field continues to develop .