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.
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.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
300
9-month afterschool program designed to increase physical activity and aerobic fitness.
Participants in this group partake in their regular afterschool activities, without intervention from the study staff.
Beckman Institute - Biomedical Imaging Center
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Campus Recreation Center East
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
Urbana, Illinois, United States
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, Illinois, United States
NeuroCognitive Assessment
Normed computerized test battery for cognitive testing
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Measures of brain structure
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Measures of brain function
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Academic Achievement
Scholastic achievement tests of reading comprehension and arithmetic
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Eye Tracking
Measures of visual gaze
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Task Performance
Measures of responses speed and accuracy
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
Event-related Brain Potentials
Measures of the neuroelectric system that occur in response to, or in preparation for, a discrete event
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
DXA Body Mass Assessment
Measures of bone density, total body composition, and fat content
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks
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Diet and Brain Function
Measure of correlation between diet and brain function
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36-40 weeks
Adiposity
Measure of change in adiposity
Time frame: Change from baseline, 36 - 40 weeks