Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the U.S. and rates have been steadily increasing in young adults (18-25 years old). Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a transdiagnostic risk factor that can be modified through intervention. Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for AS, but how exercise leads to these changes in AS remains unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine whether cognitive reappraisal is a mechanism that explains exercise induced changes in AS. Using a randomized within-subjects crossover design in a sample of 27 college-aged females with elevated AS, measures of reappraisal and AS were assessed before and after 20-min of either an acute bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or a cognitively engaging control condition during two separate, counterbalanced sessions. A computer-based electroencephalogram (EEG) reappraisal task was used to assess reappraisal, which was indexed by the late-positive potential (LPP) amplitude. Contrary to expectations, results showed a significant increase in LPP amplitude for reappraisal trials after the exercise intervention compared to the control. Interestingly, however, results showed a significant decrease in LPP amplitude while participants passively viewed anxiety-related images following exercise compared to the control. No significant changes in AS were observed in either group. Thus, the results confirm that an acute bout of aerobic exercise leads to changes in purported mechanisms of action in AS – namely, increased cognitive reappraisal and decreased emotional reactivity – despite the lack of immediate reductions in self-reported AS symptoms.
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