The Affective and Cerebral Hemodynamic Effects of Audiovisual Stimuli During Exercise Above and Below Ventilatory Threshold

Objective: Audiovisual stimuli during exercise is known to increase pleasure, but the moderating factors impacting this benefit have not been clearly explored. Therefore, two studies were used to explore the moderating effects of exercise intensity and preference for exercise intensity on the improvement of affective responses to audiovisual stimuli, respectively. Methods: In Study 1, 50 participants were randomly assigned to two groups (audiovisual stimuli vs. control) to complete 20-min sessions of exercise at 10% below and above ventilation threshold (VT). Oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during exercise was assessed with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In Study 2, 27 low-preference and 26 high-preference participants completed 20-min sessions of exercise at 10% below and above VT with audiovisual stimuli. Affective valence, arousal, perceived exertion, and attentional focus were measured in each study every 5 minutes during exercise. Results: Study 1 revealed that audiovisual stimuli led to a small improvement in affective responses above VT when compared to below VT at 15 min and 20 min. The neural basis of audiovisual stimuli to improve affective responses during exercise is to slow the decline in PFC activation. Specifically, the higher the right middle PFC activation below VT intensity, the more the pleasure. Study 2 revealed greater benefits of audiovisual stimuli to improve affective responses among high-preference individuals below VT when compared to above VT. Conclusion: The effects of audiovisual stimuli on exercise-related affect appear to be influenced by the characteristics of exercise bout and individual differences, among a sample of physically inactive adults