{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T17:40:42Z","timestamp":1789839642286,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766016000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Acute physical exercise elicits neuroendocrine responses that may transiently modulate cognitive performance. While moderate-intensity single-task exercise (e.g., running) has been shown to improve cognition, the acute cognitive and hormonal effects of dual-task exercise, which involves cognitive load, remain underexplored.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aims to compare the effects of moderate-intensity single-task (5-km run) and dual-task (orienteering) exercise on salivary cortisol levels and cognitive performance in healthy young adults.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Twenty-one male college students (age: 20.57\u2009\u00b1\u20092.57\u2009years) participated in a randomized crossover design. Each participant completed both exercise conditions. Salivary cortisol and cognitive performance (assessed via 2-Back, Mental Rotation, and Bells visual search tests) were measured before and after exercise. Exercise intensity was standardized using VO\u2082max, and heart rate was continuously monitored.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Orienteering elicited a significant increase in salivary cortisol (\n                      <jats:italic>p\u2009&amp;lt;<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u20090.01), whereas 5-km run did not. Both exercises significantly improved reaction times (RTs) on the 2-Back and Mental Rotation tasks (\n                      <jats:italic>p\u2009&amp;lt;<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u20090.01), though no significant improvements in task accuracy were observed (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;gt;\u20090.05). Performance on the Bells task improved post-exercise but showed no correlation with cortisol changes. Increases in cortisol were positively associated with RTs and accuracy improvements on working memory and spatial tasks, but not with visual search.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Dual-task exercise induced stronger neuroendocrine responses and broader cognitive benefits compared to single-task running. These findings suggest that integrating cognitive demands into exercise routines may enhance acute cortisol-driven facilitation of executive functions, highlighting the importance of such exercises in programs targeting cognitive and brain health.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2025.1700931","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T13:36:03Z","timestamp":1766064963000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Comparative effects of single-task and dual-task acute moderate-intensity exercise on cortisol and cognitive performance"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Zhongshu","family":"Shao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiazheng","family":"Peng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Minggang","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Talifu","family":"Zikereya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinliang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaixuan","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"410","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn2648","article-title":"Stress Signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function","volume":"10","author":"Arnsten","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nat. 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