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Acute psychosocial stress and working memory performance: the potential of physical activity to modulate cognitive

Kathrin Wunsch1,2, Maria Meier3,4, Lea Ueberholz3,5

  • 1Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engler-Bunte-Ring 15, Building 40.40, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany. Kathrin.wunsch@kit.edu.

BMC Pediatrics
|August 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Physical activity (PA) helps preadolescent children maintain working memory (WM) performance under stress. Children with higher PA showed better cognitive function despite stress exposure, indicating a buffering effect.

Area of Science:

  • Child psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Sports science

Background:

  • Physical activity (PA) is known to improve cognitive functions.
  • PA may protect higher-order cognitive functions, such as working memory (WM), from stress-induced impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of PA on WM performance in preadolescent children following acute stress exposure.
  • To determine if PA can mitigate the negative effects of stress on cognitive function in children.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed regular PA using accelerometers in 44 preadolescent children over seven days.
  • Administered the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C) followed by an automated operational span (OSPAN) task to measure WM performance.
  • Measured salivary cortisol and α-amylase as indicators of stress response.

Main Results:

  • Children showed typical endocrine and autonomic stress responses to the TSST-C.
  • A significant interaction between PA level and stress response (cortisol/α-amylase) on WM performance was observed.
  • Optimal WM performance occurred in children with high PA and significant stress responses (high cortisol or low α-amylase).

Conclusions:

  • Physical activity appears to buffer the detrimental effects of acute stress on working memory in preadolescent children.
  • The findings highlight the importance of PA in maintaining cognitive resilience during stressful situations in youth.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cross-stressor adaption hypothesisEcological momentary assessmentStress-buffering effectTrier social stress test for children (TSST-C)Working memory

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