Associations between physical activity and proactive control and the modulating role of working memory

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Exercise Science
• Psychology

Background:

• Physical activity (PA) is associated with cognitive control.
• Proactive control, crucial for cognitive control, has been understudied in relation to PA.
• Understanding this link may inform interventions for cognitive enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between physical activity levels and proactive control.
• To examine if this association differs between high and low PA groups.
• To explore the role of working memory in the PA-proactive control relationship.

Main Methods:

• 132 university students were categorized into high and low PA groups based on weekly activity.
• Participants completed the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT) and Cued Task-Switching Paradigm (CTS).
• Proactive control efficiency and working memory were assessed.

Main Results:

• The high PA group demonstrated superior proactive control efficiency on both cognitive tasks compared to the low PA group.
• Proactive control indices correlated between tasks for the high PA group only.
• Working memory significantly moderated the relationship between PA and proactive control on the CTS task.

Conclusions:

• Higher physical activity is associated with enhanced proactive control efficiency in university students.
• Individual differences in working memory are important for interventions targeting PA and proactive control.
• Findings suggest potential for interventions to improve cognitive control through PA, and vice versa.