Acute effects of sports with different metabolic loads on serum irisin, BDNF, and NRF2 levels and cognitive performance in sedentary young adults: a comparative analysis of basketball and tennis protocols.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physical exercise triggers coordinated neurobiological responses. This study compared the acute effects of high-intensity intermittent (basketball) versus moderate-intensity continuous (tennis) exercise on serum irisin, BDNF, and NRF2 levels, and on working memory and inhibitory control in sedentary young adults (18-25 years). METHODS: Sixty sedentary male participants (n = 20 per group) completed basketball, tennis, or passive control protocols. Serum biomarkers were quantified by ELISA pre- and post-exercise. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Digit Span and Stroop Color-Word Tests. Non-parametric analyses (Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn-Bonferroni) were applied, with a linear mixed-effects model used as a supplementary robustness check for serum irisin. RESULTS: Both exercise groups showed significant within-group increases in all biomarkers and cognitive measures (p < 0.001), with no changes in controls (p > 0.05). Basketball produced greater irisin (+41.9% vs. +30.5%), BDNF (+63.9% vs. +29.9%), NRF2 (+73.5% vs. +47.1%), and cognitive improvements than tennis (all p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Acute high-intensity intermittent exercise elicits significantly stronger neurotrophic, antioxidant, and cognitive responses than moderate-intensity continuous exercise in sedentary young adults, consistent with intensity-dependent activation of the muscle-brain axis; sport-specific motor and cognitive-load differences may also contribute and cannot be fully disentangled from metabolic intensity in the present design.