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The complex associations between adiposity, fitness, mental wellbeing and neurocognitive function after exercise: A

Nicole E Logan1, Nicole Occidental2, Jennifer N H Watrous3

  • 1Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States; Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States; George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States.

Progress in Brain Research
|March 27, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Childhood adiposity is linked to higher anxiety and disordered eating, while better cardiorespiratory fitness correlates with lower depression. Exercise impacts brain responses differently based on body fat and fitness levels in children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern with potential impacts on cognitive function and mental well-being.
  • The relationship between physical characteristics like adiposity and fitness and brain function in preadolescents requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness with cognitive performance and neuroelectric responses to acute exercise in preadolescent children.
  • To determine how body composition and fitness influence the brain's response to physical activity versus rest.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized crossover study involving 58 children (ages 8-10) who underwent seated rest and treadmill walking interventions.
  • Assessment of adiposity (BMI-Z, %Fat, VAT) and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max, Fat-Free VO2).
  • Evaluation of cognitive performance (accuracy, reaction time) and neuroelectric indices (P3 amplitude/latency) using a Go/NoGo task post-intervention.

Main Results:

  • Higher adiposity (BMI-Z, %Fat) was associated with increased trait anxiety and disordered eating scores.
  • Greater cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) was linked to lower childhood depression scores.
  • Specific associations were found between adiposity (VAT, BMI-Z) and fitness (FF-VO2) with post-exercise neurocognitive and neuroelectric outcomes, including P3 ERP latency and amplitude.

Conclusions:

  • Adiposity and fat-free fitness measures show distinct associations with neurocognitive performance following both exercise and rest.
  • These findings highlight the differential impact of body composition and fitness on preadolescent brain function in response to physical activity.

Keywords:
Brain functionChildhoodCognitionEEGMental healthObesity

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