Pregnancy and cognition: deficits in inhibition are unrelated to changes in fitness

Elise L LeMoyne1, Daniel Curnier, Dave Ellemberg

  • 1a Department of Kinesiology , University of Montreal , Montreal , QC , Canada.

This study investigated the relationship between changes in fitness and cognition that take place during pregnancy and the possibility that diminished fitness could be responsible for pregnancy-related cognitive deficits. Fifty-two pregnant women were compared to 15 nonpregnant controls on the Eriksen flanker task as well as a fitness test, both performed in a real-life setting to avoid laboratory-related biases. Results show diminished inhibition in the third trimester unrelated to fitness level. This is the first study to report the impact of pregnancy on inhibitory control.

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