Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2024
Department
Kinesiology
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the associations of adiposity and fitness on the preadolescent brain's response to acute exercise. In a sample of 58 children (ages 8–10; 19 females), demographic measures of age, sex, IQ, puberty, and socioeconomic status were considered. Children participated in a randomized crossover study, whereby they completed two different interventions; seated rest or treadmill walking, counterbalanced across participants. Associations between adiposity measures (standardized body mass index [BMI-Z], whole body percent fat [%Fat], visceral adipose tissue [VAT]), cardiorespiratory fitness measures (VO2max and Fat-Free VO2) were assessed on self-reported measures of mental wellbeing, and cognitive performance (response accuracy, reaction time) and neuroelectric (P3 amplitude and latency) indices of a Go/NoGo task following both exercise and rest interventions. Higher adiposity (whole-body percent fat, BMI-Z) was associated with higher trait anxiety (P's ≤ 0.05) and disordered eating (P's ≤ 0.05) scores. Higher fitness (VO2max) was associated with lower childhood depression scores (P = 0.02). Regression analyses yielded specific post-exercise neurocognitive associations with adiposity-related (VAT, BMI-Z), and fitness-related (FF-VO2) outcomes, after controlling for post-rest neurocognitive outcomes. VAT was positively associated with post-exercise P3 ERP Latency for the Go task (P ≤ 0.001); BMI-Z was negatively associated with P3 ERP amplitudes for the Go task (P's ≤ 0.005); FF-VO2 was negatively associated with P3 ERP latency for the Go/NoGo task (P's ≤ 0.05), and positively associated with NoGo task accuracy (P ≤ 0.001). Overall, adiposity and fat-free fitness measures yield sensitive and differential associations with neurocognitive performance after exercise and after rest interventions.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Progress in Brain Research
Volume
283
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Logan, N. E., Occidental, N., Watrous, J. N., Lloyd, K. M., Raine, L. B., Kramer, A. F., & Hillman, C. H. (2024). The complex associations between adiposity, fitness, mental wellbeing and neurocognitive function after exercise: A randomized crossover trial in preadolescent children. Progress in Brain Research, 283, 123-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.11.004
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.11.004
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