Conclusions drawn from this systematic review suggest that physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with P3b modulation during cognitive control and attention tasks .
Acute and chronic physical activity interventions modulate the P3b component , suggesting short- and long-term functional adaptations occurring in the brain to support cognitive processes .
These summary findings suggest physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are beneficial to brain function and that P3b may serve as a biomarker of covert attentional processes to better underst and the relationship of physical activity and cognition
Given accumulating evidence indicating that acute and chronic physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are related to modulation of the P3b-ERP component , this systematic review provides an overview of the field across the last 30 + years and discusses future directions as the field continues to develop .
Effects of the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function
OBJECTIVE : To assess the effect of a physical activity ( PA ) intervention on brain and behavioral indices of executive control in preadolescent children . METHODS : Two hundred twenty-one children ( 7–9 years ) were r and omly assigned to a 9-month  afterschool PA program or a wait-list control . In addition to changes in fitness ( maximal oxygen consumption ) , electrical activity in the brain ( P3-ERP ) and behavioral measures ( accuracy , reaction time ) of executive control were collected by using tasks that modulated attentional inhibition and cognitive flexibility . RESULTS : Fitness improved more among intervention participants from pretest to posttest compared with the wait-list control ( 1.3 mL/kg per minute , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : 0.3 to 2.4 ; d = 0.34 for group difference in pre-to-post change score ) . Intervention participants exhibited greater improvements from pretest to posttest in inhibition ( 3.2 % , 95 % CI : 0.0 to 6.5 ; d = 0.27 ) and cognitive flexibility ( 4.8 % , 95 % CI : 1.1 to 8.4 ; d = 0.35 for group difference in pre-to-post change score ) compared with control . Only the intervention group increased attentional re sources from pretest to posttest during tasks requiring increased inhibition ( 1.4 µV , 95 % CI : 0.3 to 2.6 ; d = 0.34 ) and cognitive flexibility ( 1.5 µV , 95 % CI : 0.6 to 2.5 ; d = 0.43 ) . Finally , improvements in brain function on the inhibition task ( r = 0.22 ) and performance on the flexibility task correlated with intervention attendance ( r = 0.24 ) . CONCLUSIONS : The intervention enhanced cognitive performance and brain function during tasks requiring greater executive control . These findings demonstrate a causal effect of a PA program on executive control , and provide support for PA for improving childhood cognition and brain health
Conclusions drawn from this systematic review suggest that physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with P3b modulation during cognitive control and attention tasks .
Acute and chronic physical activity interventions modulate the P3b component , suggesting short- and long-term functional adaptations occurring in the brain to support cognitive processes .
These summary findings suggest physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are beneficial to brain function and that P3b may serve as a biomarker of covert attentional processes to better underst and the relationship of physical activity and cognition
Given accumulating evidence indicating that acute and chronic physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are related to modulation of the P3b-ERP component , this systematic review provides an overview of the field across the last 30 + years and discusses future directions as the field continues to develop .