Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Modern Rehabilitation 2538-385X 19 4 2025 05 24 394 404 Maryam Kayvani Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sports, Faculty of Sports Science and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Sana Soltani Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran. Akram Kavyani School of Health Science and Social Work, Griffith University, South Port, Australia. 2025 05 10 2025 05 24 Introduction: Previous research has shown that neural mechanisms contribute to muscle fatigue by reducing neural drive to the muscles. This pilot study aimed to investigate whether exercise-induced fatigue influences cognitive functions, particularly attentional control (i.e. alerting, orienting, and executive function [(EF)]), and to determine whether these effects differ between physically active and inactive individuals. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four participants were categorized into two subgroups: Active and inactive. Fatigue was induced by performing submaximal aerobic endurance exercise until exhaustion was reached. Results: Fatiguing exercise improved alertness in both groups. Orientation performance declined in the inactive group but remained unchanged in the active group. EF improved in the active group but showed increased error rates in the inactive group. Conclusion: The effects of exercise-induced fatigue on attentional networks appear to depend on the physical activity level and specific attention component assessed. https://jmr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmr/article/view/1355