Exercise Effects on Cognition in School-Aged Children
Condition: Brain Health; Cognition; Scholastic Achievement
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      Recent trends have identified decreasing levels of physical activity, fitness, and health in
      preadolescent children. Examining factors, such as physical activity behavior and aerobic
      fitness that positively influence cognitive health of school-age children are important for
      improving school performance, maximizing health, and improving the overall functioning of
      individuals as they progress through the human lifespan. A sample of preadolescent children
      from the Urbana, Illinois elementary school system will be randomly assigned to a 9- month
      afterschool program that focuses on either aerobic exercise or wait-list control group to
      determine the effects of physical activity on basic and applied aspects of cognition. Changes
      in neuroimaging and behavioral indices of cognitive function and performance on standardized
      academic achievement tests of mathematics and reading will be examined as a function of
      participation in the intervention. Preliminary research supports that physical activity is
      positively associated with basic and applied aspects of cognition, with a stronger
      relationship for tasks requiring extensive amounts of executive control. However, previous
      research has mainly focused on older adults, and little research has examined the
      relationship between physical activity and executive control in children. These findings will
      provide lifestyle considerations for children to improve their cognitive health across the
      lifespan.
    

Detailed description: 
      The aim of this proposal is to improve our understanding of factors related to brain health
      and cognition of school-aged children by examining the effects of a 9-month exercise
      intervention on basic and applied aspects of cognition in preadolescent children. From a
      basic measurement perspective, event-related brain potentials, MRI, fMRI, and behavioral
      indices of cognition will be studied during several tasks aimed at assessing various aspects
      of executive control. Preliminary research has observed faster and more efficient performance
      in high-fit, relative to low-fit, children and adults using neuroelectric measures that
      reflect attentional allocation to environmental stimuli and response monitoring processes,
      along with behavioral measures that reflect response speed and accuracy. These preliminary
      findings indicate greater top-down attentional control may be associated with increases in
      physical activity. From an applied measurement perspective, preliminary research has found
      that children with greater aerobic fitness perform better on standardized achievement tests
      of reading and mathematics, compared to children with lower aerobic fitness, suggesting that
      exercise may be related to academic performance in an applied school setting. To date, no
      causal evidence exists regarding the effects of physical activity on neuroelectric,
      behavioral, or applied school performance indices of cognition in children. Accordingly, this
      proposal investigates an aerobic activity training intervention on these measures of
      cognition using three tasks that require variable amounts of executive control, and on the
      Illinois Standardized Achievement Test using a randomized control design in which
      participants are assigned to an afterschool physical activity program or a wait-list control
      group. Given recent trends identifying decreased levels of physical activity and health
      status in preadolescents, the understanding of the potential benefits of physical activity on
      cognition is of great interest. It is imperative that factors positively influencing
      cognitive function of children be examined to maximize health and effective functioning of
      individuals as they progress through the lifespan.
    

Intervention name(s): Physical Activity
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 9-month afterschool program designed to increase physical activity and aerobic fitness.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Investigator)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: physical activity; fitness; brain health; cognition; scholastic achievement; preadolescent children