Relationship Between Physical Activity, Adiposity, and Attentional Inhibition

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Physical inactivity and excess adiposity negatively impact physical and cognitive health.
• The combined effects of physical activity and adiposity on cognition are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the independent and interactive effects of physical activity and adiposity on cognitive function, specifically attentional inhibition.

Main Methods:

• Adults (N=65, ages 25-45) underwent assessment of whole-body fat percentage (%Fat) via DXA and daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (%MVPA) via accelerometer.
• Attentional inhibition was measured using the Eriksen Flanker task.
• Bivariate correlations and hierarchical linear regressions were employed for analysis.

Main Results:

• Higher %MVPA was a significant positive predictor of accuracy on the incongruent Flanker task (β=0.31, P=0.03), indicating better attentional inhibition.
• An interaction effect between %Fat and %MVPA on attentional inhibition was observed (β=0.45, P=0.04).
• Individuals with lower physical activity and higher adiposity demonstrated poorer attentional inhibition.

Conclusions:

• The positive impact of MVPA on cognitive control remains significant after adjusting for covariates and adiposity.
• Interactive effects suggest that combined physical inactivity and high adiposity detrimentally affect attentional inhibition.
• Findings highlight the public health importance of addressing physical inactivity and obesity for cognitive health.