An 8‐month randomized controlled exercise trial alters brain activation during cognitive tasks in overweight children

Abstract

Objective Children who are less fit reportedly have lower performance on tests of cognitive control and differences in brain function. This study examined the effect of an exercise intervention on brain function during two cognitive control tasks in overweight children. Design and Methods Participants included 43 unfit, overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) children 8- to 11-years old (91% Black), who were randomly divided into either an aerobic exercise (n = 24) or attention control group (n = 19). Each group was offered a separate instructor-led after-school program every school day for 8 months. Before and after the program, all children performed two cognitive control tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): antisaccade and flanker. Results Compared to the control group, the exercise group decreased activation in several regions supporting antisaccade performance, including precentral gyrus and posterior parietal cortex, and increased activation in several regions supporting flanker performance, including anterior cingulate and superior frontal gyrus. Conclusions Exercise may differentially impact these two task conditions, or the paradigms in which cognitive control tasks were presented may be sensitive to distinct types of brain activation that show different effects of exercise. In sum, exercise appears to alter efficiency or flexible modulation of neural circuitry supporting cognitive control in overweight children.

Exercise training for neural recovery in a restricted sample of pediatric brain tumor survivors: a controlled clinical trial with crossover of training versus no training

“…Previous exercise trials have shown increased hippocampal volume in healthy older adults, 12,30 increased white matter structure in adults with schizophrenia, 31 increased organization of brain activation in overweight but otherwise healthy children, 32 and improved cognitive performance in adults with acquired brain injury. 33 To our knowledge, ours is the first trial to provide neuroimaging evidence of exercise-related recovery in multiple regions of the brain well after injury, supporting the effectiveness of interventions long past the original trauma: The mean time from diagnosis to training was 5.25 years for our sample.…”

“…We do note, however, that our sample size and/or participation rate are consistent with prior exercise trials in children. 15,16,32 Because of our relatively small sample size and that our sample of healthy children was only assessed at a single time point, our ability to determine whether the observed training effects reflects normal brain growth is limited. Further, we did identify selection bias in recruitment: we found that patients and families who needed to travel longer periods of time to participate in group sessions were underrepresented in our sample (see Supplemental Material online).…”

Effects of the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function

“…[12][13][14][15] In addition, it remains unknown whether attendance in a PA program correlates with measures of executive control. Consequently, we investigated the effects of a 9-month randomized controlled PA trial (Fitness Improves Thinking in Kids [FITKids]) on brain and behavior during tasks requiring attentional inhibition and cognitive flexibility.…”

Physical Activity for Cognitive and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms

“…52 It is important to note that the study conducted by Davis et al 22 involved overweight/obese children and used the anticascade task, whereas the participants in the study by Hillman et al 7 were of a healthy weight status and a flanker task was used. Of note, these tests tap into different aspects of inhibitory control (perceptual interference versus behavioral inhibition), and it is unclear that the 2 studies should corroborate one another.…”