The complex associations between adiposity, fitness, mental wellbeing and neurocognitive function after exercise: A randomized crossover trial in preadolescent children.

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.

Electrophysiological investigation of active-assisted vs recumbent cycling: A pilot study in healthy older adults.

There is a relationship between acute bouts of aerobic exercise and cognition in adults, yet the exact nature of this relationship remains unclear. The current pilot study aims to investigate how different modes of cycling (active-assisted cycling vs recumbent cycling) at different moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) intensity levels (prescribed 65-70% Heart Rate Max and self-selected 12-13 Rate of Perceived Exertion) modulate neurocognitive, and behavioral markers of cognition in healthy older adults. A sample of 10 adults (aged 50-74years) participated in baseline (no exercise), active-assisted, and recumbent cycling interventions at different intensity levels. The P3 event-related potential (ERP), a neural index of executive functions, was recorded at baseline and following each exercise condition during an auditory odd-ball paradigm. Results revealed that greater amplitudes within the P3 ERP component were associated with post-exercise recumbent bike cycling compared to baseline and active-assisted cycling. Further, post-exercise behavioral cognitive measures (i.e., button press accuracy) were significantly greater than baseline for both active-assisted and recumbent bikes at both intensity levels. These findings suggest that exercise modulated both neurocognitive and behavioral measures of executive functions in older healthy adults, and that exercise modalities and intensity levels differentially modulate neurocognitive measures.

The Developing Brain: Considering the Multifactorial Effects of Obesity, Physical Activity & Mental Wellbeing in Childhood and Adolescence.

Obesity during childhood has been associated with many important physiological and neurological health considerations. Specifically concerning are the associations between youth obesity and declines in mental health, as shown with increasing rates of adolescent depression and anxiety worldwide. The emergence of mental health disorders commonly arises during adolescent development, and approximately half the global population satisfy the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder in their lifetime, suggesting a need for early intervention. Adolescence is critical time whereby brain structure and functions are not only negatively associated with obesity and declines in mental health, while also coinciding with significant declines in rates of physical activity among individuals in this age group. Physical activity is thus a prime candidate to address the intersection of obesity and mental health crises occurring globally. This review addresses the important considerations between physiological health (obesity, aerobic fitness, physical activity), brain health (structure and function), and mental wellbeing symptomology. Lastly, we pose a theoretical framework which asks important questions regarding the influence of physiological health on the association between brain health and the development of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescence. Specifically, we hypothesize that obesity is a mediating risk factor on the associations between brain health and psychopathology, whereas physical activity is a mediating protective factor. We conclude with recommendations for promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time.

The Differential Effects of Adiposity and Fitness on Functional Connectivity in Preadolescent Children.

PURPOSE: Childhood obesity is a global health concern, with >340 million youth considered overweight or obese. In addition to contributing greatly to health care costs, excess adiposity associated with obesity is considered a major risk factor for premature mortality from cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and is also negatively associated with cognitive and brain health. A complementary line of research highlights the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness, a by-product of engaging in physical activity, on an abundance of health factors, including cognitive and brain health. METHODS: This study investigated the relationship among excess adiposity (visceral adipose tissue [VAT], subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue), total abdominal adipose tissue, whole-body percent fat [WB%FAT], body mass index (BMI), and fat-free cardiorespiratory fitness (FF-V̇O 2max ) on resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in 121 ( f = 68) children (7-11 yr) using a data-driven whole-brain multivoxel pattern analysis. RESULTS: Multivoxel pattern analysis revealed brain regions that were significantly associated with VAT, BMI, WB%FAT, and FF-V̇O 2 measures. Yeo's (2011) RSFC-based seven-network cerebral cortical parcellation was used for labeling the results . Post hoc seed-to-voxel analyses found robust negative correlations of VAT and BMI with areas involved in the visual, somatosensory, dorsal attention, ventral attention, limbic, frontoparietal, and default mode networks. Further, positive correlations of FF-V̇O 2 were observed with areas involved in the ventral attention and frontoparietal networks. These novel findings indicate that negative health factors in childhood may be selectively and negatively associated with the 7 Yeo-defined functional networks, yet positive health factors (FF-V̇O 2 ) may be positively associated with these networks. CONCLUSIONS: These novel results extend the current literature to suggest that BMI and adiposity are negatively associated with, and cardiorespiratory fitness (corrected for fat-free mass) is positively associated with, RSFC networks in children.

Aerobic Fitness, B-Vitamins, and Weight Status Are Related to Selective Attention in Children.

There is an increasing prevalence of poor health behaviors during childhood, particularly in terms of physical activity and nutrition. This trend has occurred alongside a growing body of evidence linking these behaviors to cognitive function. B-vitamins are thought to be particularly important in the neural development that occurs during pregnancy, as well as in healthy cognitive aging. However, much less is known regarding the role of B-vitamins during childhood. Given that preadolescent childhood is a critical period for cognitive development, this study investigated the relationship between specific aspects of nutrition, particularly B-vitamins, and related health factors (e.g., body mass, fitness) on selective attention in children. Children (n = 85; 8-11 years) completed a selective attention task to assess inhibition. Participant's dietary intake was collected using the Automated Self-Administered 24-h dietary assessment tool. Correlations between specific nutrients, BMI, fitness, and task performance were investigated. After accounting for demographic variables and total caloric intake, increased B-vitamin intake (i.e., thiamin and folic acid) was associated with shorter reaction times (p's < 0.05), fitness was associated with greater response accuracy (p < 0.05), and increased BMI was related to increased variability in reaction times (p < 0.05). Together, these findings suggest that aspects of health may have unique contributions on cognitive performance. Proper physical health and nutrition are imperative for effective cognitive functioning in preadolescent children. Targeted efforts aimed at health education amongst this population could ensure proper cognitive development during school-age years, providing a strong foundation throughout life.

The differential relationship of an afterschool physical activity intervention on brain function and cognition in children with obesity and their normal weight peers.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for cognitive and brain health during preadolescence. Given that childhood obesity (OB) is a public health concern, investigating this effect in children with OB is an important societal consideration. OBJECTIVES: To identify the effects of weight status and PA on neuroelectric indices of executive function in preadolescence. METHODS: Children were randomly assigned to a PA intervention or a wait-list control group and completed a task that manipulated inhibitory control, while task performance and neuroelectric (P3 component) outcomes were assessed. About 103 children with OB were matched to a sample of 103 normal weight (NW) children based on treatment allocation and demographic variables. RESULTS: Children with OB in the control group demonstrated reduced P3 amplitude from pre- to post-test, meanwhile those with OB in the PA intervention maintained P3 amplitude at post-test compared to pre-test. Additionally, NW children in the PA intervention group showed that decreased visceral adipose tissue corresponded with faster task performance, a relationship not observed in children with OB. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a 9-month PA intervention may be particularly beneficial to the cognitive and brain health of children with OB. These results are important to consider given the public health concerns associated with childhood OB.

A Review of the Effects of Physical Activity on Cognition and Brain Health across Children and Adolescence.

Physical activity (PA) can improve physical, mental, cognitive, and brain health throughout the lifespan. During preadolescent childhood, the benefits of PA for cognitive health have been widely studied, with evidence indicating enhanced executive control, improved academic performance, and adaptation in underlying brain structure and function. Across school age children, the predominant literature has focused on preadolescent children, with a comparatively smaller body of evidence in adolescent children. Yet, preliminary findings suggest improvements in verbal, numeric, and reasoning abilities as well as academic achievements. Further, benefits of PA are also rarely examined in preschool children. Consequently, lack of standardization across studies has led to various approaches in the measurement of PA and fitness. However, since implementing tools that objectively quantify active play, PA has been related to better executive function, language acquisition, and academic achievement. Despite evidence that PA promotes cognitive and brain health during development, a growing number of schools have minimized PA opportunities across the school day. The minimization of PA along with several other factors, including lack of active commuting to school, nutrition transition, and availability of electronic devices, for example, has reduced children's physical and mental health. Accordingly, today's children have become increasingly inactive, which affects public health and contributes to educational concerns. By dedicating time to active play, sports, physical education, and other forms of PA, children are best positioned to thrive in both the physical and cognitive domains.

Cognitive Assessments in Hydration Research Involving Children: Methods and Considerations.

The effects of optimal and insufficient hydration on human health have received increasing investigation in recent years. Specifically, water is an essential nutrient for human health, and the importance of hydration on cognition has continued to attract research interest over the last decade. Despite this focus, children remain a relatively understudied population relative to the effects of hydration on cognition. Of those studies investigating children, findings have been inconsistent, resulting from utilizing a wide variety of cognitive domains and cognitive assessments, as well as varied hydration protocols. Here, our aim is to create a primer for assessing cognition during hydration research in children. Specifically, we review the definition of cognition and the domains of which it is composed, how cognition has been measured in both field- and laboratory-based assessments, results from neuroimaging methods, and the relationship between hydration and academic achievement in children. Lastly, future research considerations are discussed.