The effect of acute exercise combined with virtual reality on inhibitory control: an event-related potential study

Acute exercise (AE) positively affects inhibitory control and neuroelectric activity; however, the impact of combining exercise with virtual reality (VR) still needs to be examined. This study examined the effects of AE and acute VR exercise (AVE) on inhibitory control, neuroelectric activity (i.e., P3 amplitude), and emotional states. 78 young adults were randomly assigned to the AVE, AE, and control (CON) groups. The AVE underwent a single 35-minute VR session combined with cycling exercise, while the AE engaged in a similar exercise session without VR. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention, evaluating inhibitory control with the Stroop task, P3 amplitude, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. AVE and AE exhibited significantly shorter response times on the Stroop task compared with CON (p = .01), with no significant differences observed between AE and AVE. Accuracy did not differ across groups. AE exhibited significantly larger P3 amplitude than CON in the incongruent condition (p = .01), whereas AVE showed no significant P3 differences from CON. AVE reported significantly higher positive affect than CON (p = .03), with no group differences in negative affect. Both AE and AVE enhance inhibitory control, whereas only AVE additionally promotes positive emotions. These findings suggest that AVE represents a viable exercise alternative, and its primary value may lie in its unique affective benefits, thereby expanding exercise intervention options.