Summary: Just ten minutes of moderate running increases activation in both sides of the prefrontal cortex, improving mood and executive functioning.
Source: University of Tsukuba
A brief bout of moderate running can meaningfully boost mental health. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba report that a 10-minute session of moderate-intensity running raises local blood flow across bilateral prefrontal cortex regions—areas of the brain closely involved in mood regulation and higher cognitive skills such as attention and inhibitory control. These findings point to running as a simple, effective way to enhance mood and executive function through measurable changes in brain activity.
Physical activity is well established as a mood enhancer, but many prior mechanistic studies focused on cycling. Running is a distinct, whole-body locomotive activity with unique biomechanical and physiological demands. Humans evolved to run efficiently over sustained periods (jogging rather than sprinting), and that evolutionary history makes it plausible that running engages cortical systems that support both movement and cognition.
Despite its importance to human health and behavior, the immediate effects of running on brain regions that govern mood and executive function had been studied only minimally. “Coordinating balance, propulsion, and rhythm during running requires substantial executive control,” says Professor Hideaki Soya. “This makes it reasonable to expect enhanced neuronal activation in the prefrontal cortex and related benefits to cognitive and emotional processes.”
To test this idea, the team evaluated cognitive performance and measured prefrontal hemodynamics using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while participants performed the Stroop Color–Word Test. The Stroop task assesses executive control by requiring participants to name the ink color of words that may spell a different color (for example, the word red printed in green ink). The Stroop interference effect—the delay caused by conflicting information—was used to quantify changes in inhibitory control.
In the randomized crossover study, 26 healthy adults completed a 10-minute treadmill run at moderate intensity (around 50% VO2peak) and a separate resting control session. Mood was assessed before and after each session using a standardized mood scale, and Stroop performance and prefrontal oxygenation were recorded during the cognitive task.
After the running session, participants reported higher arousal and greater pleasure compared with the control condition. Cognitive testing revealed a significant reduction in Stroop interference time, indicating improved inhibitory control. Concurrently, fNIRS showed increased oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) signals across bilateral prefrontal regions during the Stroop task following the run, demonstrating heightened prefrontal activation.
Further analysis revealed meaningful associations between mood improvement, faster Stroop responses, and activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—a region critical for inhibitory control and mood regulation. These converging results suggest that even an acute, moderate-intensity running session can produce immediate benefits in both affect and executive function, accompanied by measurable cortical activation in prefrontal subregions.
Beyond immediate practical implications—using short runs to lift mood and sharpen focus—these findings also have evolutionary relevance. The human prefrontal cortex has unique features tied to complex behaviors. The study suggests that the cognitive and emotional advantages of running may have been important throughout human evolution, reinforcing why jogging remains a widely accessible activity for enhancing mental health.
Funding: This research was supported in part by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) grants 16H06405, 18H04081, and 21H04858, and by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) grant JPMJMI19D5.
About this exercise and cognition research news
Author: Naoko Yamashina
Source: University of Tsukuba
Contact: Naoko Yamashina – University of Tsukuba
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Open access. “Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation” by Hideaki Soya et al., Scientific Reports
Abstract
Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive function coinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation
Running is a whole-body locomotive activity that may stimulate the brain more strongly than pedaling, yet mechanistic research has focused largely on cycling. We investigated the acute effect of a single 10-minute bout of moderate-intensity running—the most common running condition—on mood, executive function, and prefrontal cortical activity.
Twenty-six healthy participants completed both a 10-minute treadmill run at approximately 50% VO2peak and a resting control session in randomized order. Executive function was evaluated by the Stroop interference time from a color–word matching Stroop task, and mood was measured with the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale before and after each session. Prefrontal hemodynamic responses during the Stroop task were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.
Running produced significant increases in arousal and pleasure relative to the control session. It also led to a greater reduction in Stroop interference time and an increase in oxygenated hemoglobin signals across bilateral prefrontal cortices. Notably, we observed a significant relationship among pleasure level, Stroop interference reaction time, and activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area central to inhibitory control and mood regulation.
In summary, a single bout of moderate-intensity running can promptly enhance mood and executive function, coinciding with activation in prefrontal subregions associated with inhibitory control and emotional regulation. Together with previous findings from pedaling studies, these results highlight the specific cognitive and affective benefits of moderate running and support its role as a practical intervention to promote mental well-being.