Changes in cortical brain activity after active break in preschoolers: MOVI-HIIT study

Abstract

Introduction: This study investigates the acute effects of high-intensity interval exercise on brain activity in preschool children, focusing on changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) bands before, immediately after, and 20 min post-exercise. Methods: Eleven children (5–6 years) participated, but EEG recordings were included only if all channels maintained a quality score >3 (0–4 scale updated every 0.5 s), resulting in the exclusion of two participants due to insufficient high-quality data. Results: EEG data revealing significant increases in Theta, Alpha1, and Alpha2 bands, suggesting enhanced relaxation, attentiveness, and readiness to learn. Conversely, Beta and Gamma bands showed reductions, especially in frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, indicating decreased stress and mental effort. Discussion: These effects persisted for up to 20 min after exercise, suggesting that brief, high-intensity exercise induces EEG changes associated with states of attentional readiness and emotional regulation, which may support learning, pending further validation.