The combination of acute exercise and eye closure has a synergistic effect on alpha activity

Abstract Acute aerobic exercise increases the brain cortical activity in alpha frequency. Eye closure also increases alpha activity. However, whether the two have an additive or a synergistic effect on alpha activity has never been explored. This study observed electroencephalography (EEG) from fifteen participants seated on the cycle ergometer before, during, and after a cycling exercise with the eyes open and with them closed. Exercise intensity was set to a target heart rate (120–130 bpm), corresponding to light-to-moderate intensity exercise. Each epoch was 6 min and the last 4 min (eyes closed in the first 2 min and eyes open in the second 2 min) were analyzed. The EEG power spectrum densities were calculated for alpha frequency band activity (8–13 Hz). At rest, alpha activity was significantly greater with the eyes closed than open. Exercise significantly increased alpha activity in both eye conditions. More importantly, in the occipital site, the alpha-increasing effect of their combination was significantly greater than the sum of the effect of each, showing a synergistic effect. We concluded that acute light-to-moderate intensity exercise with the eyes closed has a synergistic effect on alpha activity.