title: Slowed response to peripheral visual stimuli during strenuous exercise.
abstract: Recently, we proposed that strenuous exercise impairs peripheral visual perception because visual responses to peripheral visual stimuli were slowed during strenuous exercise. However, this proposal was challenged because strenuous exercise is also likely to affect the brain network underlying motor responses. The purpose of the current study was to resolve this issue. Fourteen participants performed a visual reaction-time (RT) task at rest and while exercising at 50% (moderate) and 75% (strenuous) peak oxygen uptake. Visual stimuli were randomly presented at different distances from fixation in two task conditions: the Central condition (2° or 5° from fixation) and the Peripheral condition (30° or 50° from fixation). We defined premotor time as the time between stimulus onset and the motor response, as determined using electromyographic recordings. In the Central condition, premotor time did not change during moderate (167±19ms) and strenuous (168±24ms) exercise from that at rest (164±17ms). In the Peripheral condition, premotor time significantly increased during moderate (181±18ms, P<0.05) and strenuous exercise (189±23ms, P<0.001) from that at rest (173±17ms). These results suggest that increases in Premotor Time to the peripheral visual stimuli did not result from an impaired motor-response network, but rather from impaired peripheral visual perception. We conclude that slowed response to peripheral visual stimuli during strenuous exercise primarily results from impaired visual perception of the periphery.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan; Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: soichi.ando@uec.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komiyama
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kokubu
authors.affiliation: Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan; Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan; Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiyonaga
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan; Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan; Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brain; Central nervous system; Premotor time; Reaction time; Vision