Enhancing Children's Cognitive and Brain Health Through Physical Activity Training (FITKids2)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The objective of this study is to use a randomized controlled design to determine whether cardiorespiratory fitness training improves neurocognitive function and academic performance during preadolescent development.

Detailed Description
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The long term objective of this project is to develop an understanding of lifestyle factors that influence the cognitive and brain health of children while also reducing the sedentary nature of today's youth. Previous research has found that physical activity interventions can enhance both a variety of aspects of cognition and brain structure and function of children, older adults, and individuals with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. More specifically, in previous research with children the researchers have found that higher fit children possess larger hippocampi which in turn are related to better relational memory than their lower fit counterparts. The researchers have also observed that higher fit children exhibit more efficient executive control as indicated by performance measures and event-related brain potentials. While intriguing, these cross-sectional data do not enable us to establish causality between physical activity and cognition. In the current study the researchers substantially extend this previous research by examining the influence of a 9 month randomized controlled afterschool physical activity program on cognition and brain health. Cognition will be assessed with a battery of tasks and standardized achievement tests both before and after the 9 month intervention in the activity group and a wait list control (who will receive the intervention the following year). Children will also participate in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sessions both before and after the intervention (and at comparable times for the wait list control). In these sessions the researchers will measure both structural aspects of the brain including regional volumes of gray matter and the integrity of the white matter tracts (through diffusion tensor imaging) and functional aspects of brain function using fMRI activity recorded as the children perform a series of executive control and memory tasks. The researchers anticipate, based on our cross-sectional studies with children and our previous longitudinal studies with older adults, that the children in the physical activity program will show both larger regional brain volumes, particularly in brain regions that subserve executive control and relational memory, and more efficient brain function, as indexed by task-related and resting state fMRI. Furthermore, the researchers anticipate that these changes will be accompanied by improvements in memory and executive control processes. 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.

Official Title
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Enhancing Children's Cognitive and Brain Health Through Physical Activity Training

Conditions
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Cognitive Ability, General, Achievement

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Physical Activity
* Behavioral: Physical Activity


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Parental/guardian consent 8 - 9 years old Capable of performing exercise Absence of school-identified learning disability IQ >= 85 Tanner Scales score <= 2 ADHD Rating Scales score >= 85% Right hand dominant Absence of metal implants Not claustrophobic Exclusion Criteria: Non-consent of guardian Above or below 8 - 9 years old Any physical disability that prohibits exercise School-identified learning disability IQ < 85 Tanner Scales score > 2 ADHD Rating Scale score < 85% Left hand dominant Presence of metal implants Claustrophobic

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 8 Years
Maximum Age: 9 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Treatment Group<br>Participants randomized to the physical activity-based afterschool intervention | Behavioral: Physical Activity<br>* 9-month afterschool program designed to increase physical activity and aerobic fitness.<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Wait List Group<br>Participants in this group partake in their regular afterschool activities, without intervention from the study staff. | Behavioral: Physical Activity<br>* Participants in this group partake in their regular afterschool activities, without intervention from the study staff.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NeuroCognitive Assessment | Normed computerized test battery for cognitive testing | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Measures of brain structure | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Measures of brain function | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Academic Achievement | Scholastic achievement tests of reading comprehension and arithmetic | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Eye Tracking | Measures of visual gaze | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Task Performance | Measures of responses speed and accuracy | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Event-related Brain Potentials | Measures of the neuroelectric system that occur in response to, or in preparation for, a discrete event | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| DXA Body Mass Assessment | Measures of bone density, total body composition, and fat content | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 
| Diet and Brain Function | Measure of correlation between diet and brain function | Change from baseline, 36-40 weeks | 
| Adiposity | Measure of change in adiposity | Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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physical activity, fitness, brain health, cognition, scholastic achievement, preadolescent children