Open Access

ARTICLE

Acute Aerobic Exercise Is Associated with Better Cognitive Reappraisal in Healthy Postmenopausal Women: Evidence from fNIRS

Chang Xu^*

School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China

* Corresponding Author: Chang Xu. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2026, 28(7), 12 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.078865

Received 09 January 2026; Accepted 30 March 2026; Issue published 30 July 2026

Abstract

Objectives: Postmenopausal women experience hormonal and psychosocial changes that can affect emotion regulation. Although exercise may enhance cognitive control during emotion regulation, evidence on prefrontal activation in this population is limited. This study examined whether acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise influences emotion regulation and prefrontal activation in postmenopausal women. Methods: Postmenopausal women (≥12 months since last menstruation) were randomised to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise condition or a time-matched sedentary control condition (n = 102). Analyses included participants with usable behavioural and fNIRS data (exercise n = 32; control n = 35). The exercise group completed 30 min of cycling at 50–75% age-predicted HRmax (RPE 12–14), and the control group completed 30 min of seated rest. fNIRS measured task-evoked oxygenated haemoglobin changes in prefrontal subregions before and after the intervention. Results: Negative images were rated as more aversive than neutral images (F(3, 195) = 13.73, p < 0.001), confirming task validity. A 2 × 2 × 4 mixed ANOVA showed significant main effects of group, time, and emotion regulation strategy, and a significant Group × Emotion Regulation interaction (F(3, 195) = 7.18, p < 0.001). Compared with controls, the exercise group reported lower negative affect during reappraisal and suppression (all p < 0.001). NIRS showed significant Group × Time interactions in the left VLPFC, right VLPFC, and left DLPFC during reappraisal (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Acute aerobic exercise reduced negative emotions and improved emotion regulation.

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Keywords

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