Being underweight, academic performance and cognitive control in undergraduate women.

The prevalence of underweight among young women is a serious international health issue. However, the evidence on how being underweight negatively affects brain health and cognition is still unclear. This study investigated the association between underweight status, academic performance, and neurocognitive control in young Japanese women using a cross-sectional design. We analyzed the academic performance of female undergraduates, comparing underweight and healthy-weight groups (n = 43; age 18-23 years, M = 21.1, SD = 1.3) based on their grade point average (GPA). We also analyzed their error-related negativity (ERN), an electrophysiological measure that potentially reflects academic performance, during an arrowhead version of the flanker task to assess cognitive control of action monitoring. Participants with a low body mass index were found to have lower GPAs. Furthermore, the underweight students exhibited smaller ERN amplitudes, which indicates decreased cognitive control in action monitoring. These findings suggest that a healthy weight status is essential for effective cognitive functioning and academic success in young adult women, among whom being underweight is a serious health problem.

Balancing academics and athletics: School-level athletes' results are positively associated with their academic performance.

BACKGROUND: Using data from a nationwide high-school sample, the present study aimed to examine whether school-level athletes' sporting results are positively or negatively associated with their academic performance. METHODS: Athletic performance was assessed using the results of spring and summer regional qualifying interschool tennis tournaments in Japan among both male and female tournaments across all prefectures in Japan. Academic performance was assessed using the standardized rank scores for academic performance at the school level, with higher scores denoting superior academic levels; this is the most common measure of academic performance in Japanese high schools. Linear mixed models were conducted to compare the academic performance of high schools with winning and losing records, respectively, for all games together and for the spring and summer tournaments separately. The results of a total of 4,870 games were analyzed. RESULTS: High schools with winning records showed a significantly higher academic-performance score than those with losing records, and this association was stronger among boys than girls. The observed difference in academic-performance scores between the schools with winning and losing records, respectively, was replicated in both tournament settings (i.e., spring and summer). CONCLUSIONS: Athletic results are positively associated with academic performance at the school level. Given the cross-sectional nature of the present study, the present results do not necessarily imply that sports participation can improve academic performance; rather, the present study suggests that balancing academic and athletic commitments is feasible.

Association of physical activity and fitness with executive function among preschoolers

It is well-documented in the literature that high levels of regular physical activity (PA), low levels of sedentary behavior (SB), and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with superior cognitive functioning, especially with regard to older populations. However, concerning other age groups (e.g., preschoolers) the available evidence documenting such a positive relationship is relatively scarce. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of time spent in different PA intensity zones and CRF with executive functions (EFs) in preschool-age children. To this end, preschoolers (n = 127) aged 3 to 6 years were recruited from 9 kindergarten classes in 2 districts of Shenzhen, China. The amount and the intensity of PA were assessed via accelerometry, and the CRF level was quantified by the 20-meter shuttle run test. EFs including inhibitory control and working memory were assessed using the one-on-one iPad-based Early Year Toolbox. Results suggested that children who had a higher CRF level (“impulse control” scores: β = 0.34, p < .001; “Go” accuracy: β = 0.31, p < .001; “No-Go” accuracy: β =0.28, < .001) and spentmore time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (“impulse control” scores: β = 0.50, p < .001; No-Go” accuracy: β = 0.52, p < .001) had higher scores on inhibitory control tasks, and those who had a higher CRF level had higher scores on a working memory task (β = 0.24, p < .05). The findings are discussed in light of the positive roles of MVPA and CRF for promoting EFs, but also consider the disproportionate association of PA and CRF with working memory relative to inhibition. (AU)

Association of physical activity and fitness with executive function among preschoolers.

It is well-documented in the literature that high levels of regular physical activity (PA), low levels of sedentary behavior (SB), and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with superior cognitive functioning, especially with regard to older populations. However, concerning other age groups (e.g., preschoolers) the available evidence documenting such a positive relationship is relatively scarce. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of time spent in different PA intensity zones and CRF with executive functions (EFs) in preschool-age children. To this end, preschoolers (n = 127) aged 3 to 6 years were recruited from 9 kindergarten classes in 2 districts of Shenzhen, China. The amount and the intensity of PA were assessed via accelerometry, and the CRF level was quantified by the 20-meter shuttle run test. EFs including inhibitory control and working memory were assessed using the one-on-one iPad-based Early Year Toolbox. Results suggested that children who had a higher CRF level ("impulse control" scores: ß = 0.34, p < .001; "Go" accuracy: ß = 0.31, p < .001; "No-Go" accuracy: ß =0.28, < .001) and spentmore time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) ("impulse control" scores: ß = 0.50, p < .001; No-Go" accuracy: ß = 0.52, p < .001) had higher scores on inhibitory control tasks, and those who had a higher CRF level had higher scores on a working memory task (ß = 0.24, p < .05). The findings are discussed in light of the positive roles of MVPA and CRF for promoting EFs, but also consider the disproportionate association of PA and CRF with working memory relative to inhibition.

Association between aerobic fitness and attentional functions in Egyptian preadolescent children.

Growing evidence indicates that culture and education can influence cognitive constructs. Studies targeting Western and Asian populations have shown a positive relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive control in children; however, this association has yet to be explored in the Arab world. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness and attentional networks in Egyptian preadolescent children. In total, 103 preadolescent children (9.76 ± 0.11) completed an assessment of aerobic fitness using a 6-min running test and a computerized attention network test that allowed for assessing alerting, orienting, and executive networks. The results revealed that higher aerobic fitness was associated with shorter response time and higher response accuracy in a more cognitively demanding task condition (i.e., incongruent trials). Furthermore, higher aerobic fitness was associated with a more efficient executive network. No associations were observed for alerting and orienting networks. These findings corroborate growing evidence indicating the importance of aerobic fitness for cognitive development and extend the literature by suggesting that the positive association between aerobic fitness and cognitive control might be generalized to the Arab population and not significantly change across cultures.

Look into my eyes: What can eye-based measures tell us about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance?

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the positive associations of physical activity and fitness with measures of cognitive performance. To better understand those mechanisms, several studies have employed eye-based measures (e.g., eye movement measures such as saccades, pupillary measures such as pupil dilation, and vascular measures such as retinal vessel diameter) deemed to be proxies for specific neurobiological mechanisms. However, there is currently no systematic review providing a comprehensive overview of these studies in the field of exercise-cognition science. Thus, this review aimed to address that gap in the literature. METHODS: To identify eligible studies, we searched 5 electronic databases on October 23, 2022. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise (TESTEX scale, for interventional studies) and the critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (for cross-sectional studies). RESULTS: Our systematic review (n = 35 studies) offers the following main findings: (a) there is insufficient evidence available to draw solid conclusions concerning gaze-fixation-based measures; (b) the evidence that pupillometric measures, which are a proxy for the noradrenergic system, can explain the positive effect of acute exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness on cognitive performance is mixed; (c) physical training- or fitness-related changes of the cerebrovascular system (operationalized via changes in retinal vasculature) are, in general, positively associated with cognitive performance improvements; (d) acute and chronic physical exercises show a positive effect based on an oculomotor-based measure of executive function (operationalized via antisaccade tasks); and (e) the positive association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive performance is partly mediated by the dopaminergic system (operationalized via spontaneous eye-blink rate). CONCLUSION: This systematic review offers confirmation that eye-based measures can provide valuable insight into the neurobiological mechanisms that may drive positive associations between physical activity and fitness and measures of cognitive performance. However, due to the limited number of studies utilizing specific methods for obtaining eye-based measures (e.g., pupillometry, retinal vessel analysis, spontaneous eye blink rate) or investigating a possible dose-response relationship, further research is necessary before more nuanced conclusions can be drawn. Given that eye-based measures are economical and non-invasive, we hope this review will foster the future application of eye-based measures in the field of exercise-cognition science.

The Nervous System as a Pathway for Exercise to Improve Social Cognition.

Specific nervous system functions and the regulating roles of oxytocin have evolved because of the necessity to negotiate increasingly complex social systems. We hypothesize that acute and long-term physical activity and exercise have the potential to benefit social cognitive abilities, such as emotion recognition and regulation, by operating on these functions.

Exercise types and working memory components during development.

Working memory is crucial to learning and academic success. Exercise has been found to benefit working memory in late life, but its effects during cognitive development are less clear. Building on findings that working memory is supported by the motor system, we highlight the sensitivity of different working memory components to acute and long-term exercise in children and adolescents. We also consider how the specific skill demands of endurance and coordinative exercise influence this sensitivity. Distinct effects of these exercise types are further linked with neurocognitive and neuroendocrine pathways. Our review suggests long-term rather than acute benefits of exercise for children and adolescents' working memory, which are more pronounced and specific for exercise with high coordinative demands.

Modality differences in ERP components between somatosensory and auditory Go/No-go paradigms in prepubescent children.

We investigated modality differences in the N2 and P3 components of event-related potentials (ERPs) between somatosensory and auditory Go/No-go paradigms in eighteen healthy prepubescent children (mean age: 125.9±4.2 months). We also evaluated the relationship between behavioral responses (reaction time, reaction time variability, and omission and commission error rates) and amplitudes and latencies of N2 and P3 during somatosensory and auditory Go/No-go paradigms. The peak latency of No-go-N2 was significantly shorter than that of Go-N2 during somatosensory paradigms, but not during auditory paradigms. The peak amplitude of P3 was significantly larger during somatosensory than auditory paradigms, and the peak latency of P3 was significantly shorter during somatosensory than auditory paradigms. Correlations between behavioral responses and the P3 component were not found during somatosensory paradigms. On the other hand, in auditory paradigms, correlations were detected between the reaction time and peak amplitude of No-go-P3, and between the reaction time variability and peak latency of No-go-P3. A correlation was noted between commission error and the peak latency of No-go-N2 during somatosensory paradigms. Compared with previous adult studies using both somatosensory and auditory Go/No-go paradigms, the relationships between behavioral responses and ERP components would be weak in prepubescent children. Our data provide findings to advance understanding of the neural development of motor execution and inhibition processing, that is dependent on or independent of the stimulus modality.

The effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

An increasing number of studies has focused on the after-effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function. To date, empirical evidence lacks consensus regarding whether acute aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on executive function. To identify possible sources of this discrepancy, the present study focused on executive function demands and pre-test cognitive performance, and performed the first meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD meta-analysis) in this area of research. Results indicated that the beneficial after-effects of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive performance were greater in participants with lower cognitive performance at pre-test. Acute aerobic exercise offered general benefits to cognitive performance irrespective of executive function demands, when pre-test cognitive performance was appropriately controlled. Thus, the present IPD meta-analysis suggests that pre-test cognitive performance is one possible source of the conflicting findings in acute exercise studies. Future research is encouraged to consider pre-test cognitive performance to avoid underestimating the beneficial after-effects of acute exercise.

How children with neurodevelopmental disorders can benefit from the neurocognitive effects of exercise.

Exercise is an integral part of children's lives, and research in educational settings has found that regular engagement promises improvements in executive function (i.e. top-down control of goal-directed behavior). Based on recent advances in understanding the moderators and the neurocognitive mechanisms of these effects, we highlight a potential application of exercise in the treatment of executive dysfunction. Even though different neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by a heterogeneity in core symptoms, children affected by these disorders often face common executive function deficits. So far, exercise has not been recognized as an alternative or additional treatment for this specific cognitive impairment. The limited experimental evidence in children with neurodevelopmental disorders provides a first indication that regular exercise engagement benefits executive function. However, we identified key research questions that need to be answered before a prescription of exercise to children with executive dysfunction can be encouraged in clinical practice.

Differential effects of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness on worst- and best- school subjects.

Accumulating evidence shows a beneficial association between physical fitness and school children's academic performance. However, several other studies have failed to demonstrate such an association. We reanalyzed data of a two-year longitudinal study of the association between changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance of school children by focusing on intra-individual variability in grade points as a possible source of this discrepancy. We analyzed data from 469 junior high school students to examine if improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness had a differential effect on an individual student's worst and best grade points. Results indicated that improvements in physical fitness were associated with an improvement in the worst grade points. On the contrary, we did not observe a similar longitudinal association with the best grade points. These findings suggest that improving cardiorespiratory fitness improves the worst grade points of an individual, selectively. We suggest that intra-individual variability in grade points might moderate the association between physical fitness and academic performance changes.

Acute effects of highly intense interval and moderate continuous exercise on the modulation of neural oscillation during working memory.

This study investigated the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on behavioral performance and neural correlates of working memory. Thirty-six 18-30 years adults were recruited to perform a 20-min bout of HIIT, MICE, and rest on separate days in counterbalanced order. Following interventions, frontal alpha event-related desynchronization (ERD) was measured during a modified Sternberg task requiring varying amounts of working memory (3-, 5-, 7-letter tasks). Behavioral analyses showed a condition effect, indicating shorter response times following HIIT compared to rest. Analysis of frontal alpha ERD showed an interaction of condition and task, indicating no differences across tasks following rest but a task effect following HIIT and MICE, with frontal alpha ERD increasing in the 7-letter task compared with the 3-letter task. Following HIIT, this task-related contrast of frontal alpha ERD extended to the time period when memory retrieval occurred. Although both HIIT and MICE resulted in alterations in neuroelectric underpinnings of memory encoding and retention in response to increased memory load, only HIIT enhanced the processing speed and brain activation during memory retrieval. These findings provide evidence for potential applications of exercise to enhance working memory and the role of exercise type to such effect.

Baseline Cognitive Performance Moderates the Effects of Physical Activity on Executive Functions in Children.

Findings regarding the effects of regular physical activity on cognition in children have been inconsistent due to a number of demographic factors and experimental considerations. The present study was designed to examine baseline cognitive performance and executive function demands, as possible factors underlying the lack of consensus in the literature, by investigating the moderating role of those factors on the effects of physical activity on cognition. We reanalyzed data from three randomized controlled trials, in which the effects of regular physical activity intervention on cognition were examined using executive function tasks that included at least two task conditions requiring variable executive function demands, with a cumulative total of 292 participants (9-13 years). The results indicate that cognitive improvements resulting from physical activity intervention were greater in children with lower baseline cognitive performance. The main analysis revealed that beneficial effects of physical activity intervention on cognitive performance were generally observed across executive function conditions. However, secondary analyses indicated that these general effects were moderated by baseline performance, with disproportionately greater effects for task conditions with higher executive function demands. These findings suggest that baseline cognitive performance is an individual difference variable that moderates the beneficial effects of physical activity on executive functions.

Systematic review and meta-analysis investigating moderators of long-term effects of exercise on cognition in healthy individuals.

As cognitive function is linked with academic achievement, career success and mental health, there is a need to understand how the cognitive benefits of long-term exercise can be optimized. Our meta-regression included 80 randomized controlled trials and examined moderators of the effects of exercise on cognition in healthy individuals. The summary effect was small and did not differ between cognitive domains. Higher benefits of exercise on cognitive function were found after coordinative exercise compared with other exercise types. With longer intervention length, the effect size increased with longer session duration. Exercise was less effective in female compared with male individuals, and the dose-response relationship differed between sexes. Our findings suggest a general rather than domain-specific effect of exercise on cognition, which is influenced by sex, exercise type and reciprocal relationships between dose parameters. We derive sex-specific recommendations on how cognitive benefits can be optimized by exercise intensity, its progression and exercise type.

The Role of Motor Competences in Predicting Working Memory Maintenance and Preparatory Processing.

The purpose of the study was the examination of the longitudinal association between motor competences and changes in preparatory processing during a task requiring working memory maintenance. At baseline, 52 Caucasian children aged 10-12 years completed the MOBAK-5 test battery and a Sternberg task, whereas the cue-P300 and the initial contingent negative variation (iCNV) were recorded via electroencephalography. After 9 months, the Sternberg task was administered again to assess changes in these neurophysiological indices and behavioral performance. Path analyses revealed that motor competences predicted the change in cue-P300 and iCNV from baseline to follow-up. The present findings indicate that the cognitive control strategy during a task demanding working memory maintenance changes as a function of children's baseline motor competences.

Differences in characteristics of somatosensory evoked potentials between children and adults.

The present study examined the characteristics of somatosensory processing in healthy prepubescent children (mean age: 124.9 ± 3.8 months) compared with young adults. Somatosensory evoked potentials at the frontal (Fz) and centroparietal (C3') electrodes were recorded by delivering an electrical stimulus to the right median nerve at a rate of 3 Hz. The characteristics of somatosensory evoked potential waveforms at C3' were markedly different between the two groups, while those at Fz were similar. Specifically, the waveforms at C3' in the children involved not only standard P12, N18, P22, N27, P45, and N60 components, but also additional positive (P3) and negative (N3) components between N27 and P45, which were not found in adults. The amplitude of P22 at C3' was significantly larger in the children than adults, indicating hyper-excitability/responsiveness of neural activity on somatosensory processing. In contrast, the amplitudes of N15 at Fz and N27 at C3' were smaller in the children than adults, suggesting an immature somatosensory system in the children. The peak latencies of P12, N15, and P18 at Fz, and P12 and N18 at C3' were significantly shorter in the children than adults, which was dependent on the height. These results indicate the developing somatosensory processing with hyper- and hypo-excitability of neural activity in prepubescent children.

Aftereffects of Cognitively Demanding Acute Aerobic Exercise on Working Memory.

PURPOSE: This study examined the aftereffects of cognitively demanding acute aerobic exercise on working memory in middle-age individuals. METHODS: In a within-participants design, middle-age males (n = 28) performed a two-back task to assess working memory before, immediately after, and 30 min after the following three interventions: 1) a rest-cognition intervention, in which they performed a cognitive task on a cycle ergometer without exercising; 2) an exercise-cognition intervention, in which they simultaneously exercised on a cycle ergometer and performed a cognitive task; and 3) an exercise-only intervention, in which they only exercised on a cycle ergometer. RESULTS: The exercise-only intervention resulted in increased hit rate and decreased reaction times and intraindividual variability on correct rejection trials, suggesting that simple aerobic exercise had a beneficial impact on working memory. By contrast, the exercise-cognition intervention resulted in increased intraindividual variability on correct rejection trials, which is suggestive of cognitive fatigue resulting from the additional cognitive demands. Such a decline was not observed even in the rest-cognition condition. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive fatigue caused by additional cognitive demands during aerobic exercise may cancel beneficial postexercise effects on working memory. Cognitively demanding acute aerobic exercise appears to be less effective than simple aerobic exercise in improving executive function.

The effects of a school-based exercise program on neurophysiological indices of working memory operations in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of a structured exercise program implemented during school break-time on working memory maintenance and neurophysiological indices of task preparation processes in adolescents. DESIGN: Using class-wise random allocation, participants from four classes were divided into an exercise (n=20) and a wait-list control group (n=16). Over a period of eight weeks, the exercise group engaged in 20min of combined aerobic and coordinative exercise on each school day. METHODS: Prior to and after the intervention period, participants performed a computer-based Sternberg task for the assessment of working memory performance. Simultaneously, the contingent negative variation (CNV) of event-related potentials was measured. RESULTS: The exercise group demonstrated a larger decrease in reaction time from pre- to post-test relative to the control group, F(1, 31)=13.5, p<0.001. No changes were found for accuracy on the Sternberg task across groups. Using cluster-based permutation testing, the analysis of event-related potentials revealed a significant increase of the initial CNV from pre- to post-test in the exercise group, cluster value=-2376.2, p=0.006, which was most pronounced for the fronto-central region, with no such effect observed for the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Daily engagement in a short combined aerobic and coordinative exercise program following the school lunch time break elicits benefits for working memory in adolescents. These changes are accompanied by improvements of task preparation processes, which allow the selection of a more appropriate cognitive control strategy.