Efects of cafeine intake and exercise intensity on executive and arousal vigilance

Abstract

During physical eforts and sport practice, vigilance is responsible for maintaining an optimal state of activation, guaranteeing the ability to quickly respond and detect unexpected, but critical, stimuli over time. Cafeine and physical exercise are able to modulate the activation state, afecting vigilance performance. The aim of the present work was to assess the specifc efects and modulations of cafeine intake and two physical intensities on vigilance components. Participants performed an attentional task (ANTI-Vea) to measure the executive and arousal components of vigilance, in six double-blinded counterbalanced sessions combining cafeine, placebo, or no-ingestion, with light vs. moderate cyclergometer exercise. Exercise at moderate intensity improved executive vigilance with faster overall reaction time (RT), without impairing error rates. Instead, cafeine intake generally improved arousal vigilance. In conclusion, cafeine and acute exercise seems to moderate executive and arousal vigilance in diferent ways.