The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Executive Functions Among Youth in Low-Income Urban Schools in the Northeast and Southwest United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-306
Author(s):  
Jesse Mala ◽  
Jennifer McGarry ◽  
Kristen E. Riley ◽  
Elaine C.-H. Lee ◽  
Lindsay DiStefano
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pearson Correlations

The purpose of this study was to examine if physical activity is related to greater executive functions among youth in poverty. Executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory) and physical activity were measured in participants (N = 149) in the fifth to eighth grade from three schools located in high-poverty districts. Pearson correlations revealed a statistically significant correlation between physical activity and cognitive flexibility (r = .18, p < .05). Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that physical activity significantly improved prediction for cognitive flexibility, R2 = .09, F(6, 142) = 2.26, p = .041, adjusted R2 = .05, above sex, maturity, and school district. A two-way multivariate analysis of covariance revealed statistically significant differences in working memory in more active youth compared with less active but no statistically significant differences in cognitive flexibility or inhibition (p < .05). Greater physical activity is associated with greater working memory among youth in poverty.

scholarly journals Physical activity, aerobic fitness and brain white matter: their role for executive functions in adolescence

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona Ruotsalainen ◽  
Tetiana Gorbach ◽  
Jaana Perkola ◽  
Ville Renvall ◽  
Heidi J. Syväoja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Aerobic Fitness ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

AbstractPhysical activity and exercise beneficially link to brain properties and cognitive functions in older adults, but it is unclear how these results generalise to other age groups. During adolescence, the brain undergoes significant changes, which are especially pronounced in white matter. Existing studies provide contradictory evidence regarding the influence of physical activity or aerobic-exercise on executive functions in youth. Little is also known about the link between both aerobic fitness and physical activity with white matter during puberty. For this reason, we investigated the connection between both aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle run) and physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity) with white matter in 59 adolescents (12.7–16.2 years). We further determined whether white matter interacts with the connection of fitness or physical activity with three core executive functions (sustained attention, spatial working memory and response inhibition). Our results showed that only the level of aerobic fitness, but not of physical activity was related to white matter properties. Furthermore, the white matter of specific tracts also moderated the links of aerobic fitness and physical activity with working memory. Our results suggest that aerobic fitness and physical activity have an unequal contribution to the properties of white matter in adolescent brains. We propose that the differences in white matter properties could underlie the variations in the relationship between either physical activity or aerobic fitness with working memory.HighlightsAerobic fitness level, but not physical activity, is associated with white matter properties in several white matter tracts in the brain.The relationship between aerobic fitness and working memory was moderated by fractional anisotropy of the body of corpus callosum and in the right superior corona radiata.The relationship between physical activity and working memory was moderated by fractional anisotropy of the body and genu of corpus callosum.

scholarly journals Linking inhibitory control to math achievement via comparison of conflicting decimal numbers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linsah Coulanges ◽  
Roberto A. Abreu-Mendoza ◽  
Sashank Varma ◽  
Melina Uncapher ◽  
Adam Gazzaley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Whole Number ◽  
Calculation Skills ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Number Knowledge

The relationship between executive functions (EF) and academic achievement is well-established, but leveraging this insight to improve educational outcomes remains elusive. Here, we propose a framework for relating the role of specific EF on specific precursor skills that support later academic learning. Specifically, we hypothesize that executive functions contribute to general math skills both directly – supporting the online execution of problem solving strategies – and indirectly – supporting the acquisition of precursor mathematical content. We test this hypothesis by examining the contribution of inhibitory control on processing rational numbers pairs which conflict with individual’s prior whole number knowledge and on general math knowledge. In 97 college students (79 female, age = 20.63 years), we collected three measures of EF: working memory (backwards spatial span), inhibition (color-word Stroop) and cognitive flexibility (task switching), and timed and untimed standardized measures of math achievement. Our target precursor skill was a decimals comparison task where correct responses were inconsistent with prior whole number knowledge (e.g. 0.27 vs. 0.9). Participants performed worse on these trials relative to the consistent decimals pairs (e.g. 0.2 vs. 0.87). Individual differences on incongruent Stroop trials predicted performance on inconsistent decimal comparisons, which in turn predicted performance on both timed and untimed measures of math achievement. With respect to relating inhibitory control to math achievement, incongruent Stroop performance was an independent predictor of untimed calculation skills after accounting for age, working memory and cognitive flexibility. Finally, we found that inconsistent decimals performance partially mediated the relationship between inhibition and untimed math achievement, consistent with the hypothesis that mathematical precursor skills can explain the relationships between executive functions and academic outcomes, making them promising targets for intervention.

Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility Mediates Visuoconstructional Abilities in Older Adults with Heterogeneous Cognitive Ability

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 392-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela T. Ávila ◽  
Jonas J. de Paula ◽  
Maria A. Bicalho ◽  
Edgar N. Moraes ◽  
Rodrigo Nicolato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Planning Ability ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractPrevious studies suggest that executive functions influence the performance on visuoconstructional tasks. This study aims to investigate whether the relationship between planning ability and the copy of complex figures is mediated by distinct components of executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). We included a 129 older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (n=36, AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=67), and with no evidence of cognitive impairment (controls, n=26). We evaluated the mediation effect of planning abilities, working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control on visuoconstructional tasks using a multiple mediation models. We found a significant direct effect of planning on visuoconstructional abilities and a partial mediation effect of working memory and cognitive flexibility on visuoconstructional abilities. The present results indicate that the performance on visuoconstructional task is mediated by multiple interrelated executive functions components, in particular working memory and cognitive flexibility. (JINS, 2015, 21, 392–398)

The relationship between early musical training and executive functions: Validation of effects of the sensitive period

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562097869
Author(s):  
Jiejia Chen ◽  
Meike Scheller ◽  
Chuanyu Wu ◽  
Biyu Hu ◽  
Rong Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Music Training ◽  
Inhibition Response ◽  
The Relationship

Interest in the influence of musical training on executive functions (EFs) has been growing in recent years. However, the relationship between musical training and EFs remains unclear. By dividing EFs into inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, this study systematically examined its association with musical training in children, and further verified whether there was a sensitive period for the influence of music training on EFs. In Experiment 1, musically trained and untrained children were asked to complete the Go/No-go, Stroop, Continuous Performance, and Switching tasks. Results showed that musically trained children had an advantage in attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory, but not in cognitive flexibility. Moreover, the level of musical training was positively correlated with response inhibition and working memory abilities. In Experiment 2, results showed that early-trained musicians performed better on measures of attention inhibition, response inhibition, and working memory than did the age-matched control group, but late-trained musicians only performed better in attention inhibition. Thus, our findings suggest that music training is associated with enhanced EF abilities and provide the first evidence that early childhood is a sensitive period when musical training has a more powerful effect on the development of EFs.

scholarly journals Associations Between Executive Functions and Physical Fitness in Preschool Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Veraksa ◽  
Alla Tvardovskaya ◽  
Margarita Gavrilova ◽  
Vera Yakupova ◽  
Martin Musálek
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Preschool Period ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Different Levels

Considering the current agreement on the significance of executive functions, there is growing interest in determining factors that contribute to the development of these skills, especially during the preschool period. Although multiple studies have been focusing on links between physical activity, physical fitness and executive functions, this topic was more investigated in schoolchildren and adults than in preschoolers. The aim of the current study was to identify different levels of physical fitness among pre-schoolers, followed by an analysis of differences in their executive functions. Participants were 261 5–6-years old children. Inhibitory control and working memory were positively linked with physical fitness. Cognitive flexibility was not associated with physical fitness. The research findings are considered from neuropsychological grounds, Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, and the cultural-historical approach.

Longitudinal Associations Between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Development of Executive Functioning Across the Transition to First Grade

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 895-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loren Vandenbroucke ◽  
Jan Seghers ◽  
Karine Verschueren ◽  
Anne I. Wijtzes ◽  
Dieter Baeyens
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Central Executive ◽  
Daily Physical Activity ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Visuospatial Sketchpad

Background:The current study investigates how children’s amount of daily physical activity relates to subcomponents of executive functions, the cognitive processes needed for goal-directed behavior. Previous studies rarely determined this association at the subcomponent level and did not explicitly examine the period when children make the transition to first grade, despite its importance for the development of executive functions.Methods:In a sample of 54 children, working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility were thoroughly measured at the subcomponent level at the end of kindergarten and first grade. In the middle of first grade, children wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days.Results:Regression analyses showed that performance on a measure of the visuospatial sketchpad, the central executive, and fluency was predicted by children’s amount of daily physical activity after controlling for initial task performance.Conclusions:The development of the visuospatial sketchpad (working memory), the central executive (working memory), and fluency (cognitive flexibility) might be improved by increasing the amount of time being physically active. However, as other subcomponents of executive functioning were not affected, the role of other aspects of physical activity, such as intensity and content, in the development of executive functions should be further investigated.

scholarly journals Task Monitoring and Working Memory as Executive Components Predictive of General and Specific Academic Achievements in 6–9-Year-Old Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6681
Author(s):  
Alberto Quílez-Robres ◽  
Nieves Moyano ◽  
Alejandra Cortés-Pascual
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Academic Achievements ◽  
Predictive Role ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship

Academic achievement has been linked to executive functions. However, it is necessary to clarify the different predictive role that executive functions have on general and specific academic achievement and to determine the most predictive executive factor of this academic achievement. The relationship and predictive role between executive functions and their components (initiative, working memory, task monitoring, organization of materials, flexibility, emotional control, inhibition, self-monitoring) with academic achievement are analyzed in this study, both globally and specifically in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics, in 133 students from 6 to 9 years of age. The relationship obtained in Pearson’s correlation analysis does not differ substantially between overall achievement (r = 0.392) and specific achievement (r = 0.361, r = 0.361), but task monitoring (r = 0.531, r = 0.455, r = 0.446) and working memory (r = 0.512, r = 0.475, r = 0.505) had a greater relationship with general and specific achievement. Finally, regression analyses based on correlation results indicate that executive functions predict general academic performance (14.7%) and specific performance (12.3%, 12.2%) for Language Arts and Mathematics, respectively. Furthermore, working memory and task supervision represent 32.5% of general academic performance, 25.5% of performance in Language Arts, and 27.1% of performance in Mathematics. In conclusion, this study yielded exploratory data on the possible executive functions (task supervision and working memory) responsible for good general academic achievements and specific academic achievements in Mathematics and Language Arts.

scholarly journals Executive Functions and Domain-Specific Cognitive Skills in Climbers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Florian Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Sport Climbing ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
General Physical

Athletes in a particular sport have specific cognitive skills acquired due to regular confrontation with sport-specific requirements. Studies show that the particular type of sport carried out and fostered by general physical activity impacts executive functions (EFs) such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. There are inconsistent results on the connections between domain-specific cognitive skills and executive functions. This study aimed to evaluate the relations between EFs and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbing. Due to that, we examined the executive functions (neuropsychological tests) and domain-specific cognitive skills (climbing-specific test: a preview of the route vs. climbed moves; climbed moves vs. recognition of moves) of 19 climbers (10 novices, 9 experts, grades 5 to 6a vs. 6c+ to 7b). The inter-subject effects analysis shows that novices and experts in sport climbing do not differ in executive functions in this particular case. Concerning domain-specific cognitive skills, there are differences between experts and novices. Experts show a significantly higher level in planning performance or route idea (p < 0.001) as well as in memorizing of climbed moves (p = 0.004). There are no relations between executive functions and domain-specific cognitive skills in climbers.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Patterns in Youth With Intellectual Disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Downs ◽  
Stuart J. Fairclough ◽  
Zoe R. Knowles ◽  
Lynne M. Boddy
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Physical Activity Patterns

The aim of this study was to assess the physical activity (PA) patterns of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). PA was monitored for 7 days in 70 participants, 5–15 years old, using accelerometers. There were 32 participants included in the final analysis. Habitual PA and the number of continuous bouts accrued for a range of bout lengths (5–600 s) for light (LPA), moderate (MPA), and vigorous (VPA) PA were calculated. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to assess differences in the number of continuous bouts by sex, age, and ID group and between week and weekend days. Participants exhibited short sporadic bursts of activity. The number of continuous bouts decreased as the intensity and duration increased. Few differences in PA patterns were reported by sex, ID group, and age group and between week and weekend days, possibly due to the generally low PA levels in this population.

scholarly journals Leading by Example: Association Between Mother and Child Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Brad R. Julius ◽  
Amy M.J. O’Shea ◽  
Shelby L. Francis ◽  
Kathleen F. Janz ◽  
Helena Laroche
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Multivariate Regression ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Low Income Mothers ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: The authors examined the relationship between mother and child activity. Methods: The authors compared moderate–vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time of low-income mothers with obesity and their 6- to 12-year-old children on week (WD) and weekend (WE) days. A total of 196 mother–child pairs wore accelerometers simultaneously for a week. Mothers completed questionnaires. Spearman correlation and multivariate regression were used. Results: WE MVPA (accelerometry) was significantly correlated between mothers with children aged 6–7 (rs = .35) and daughters (rs = .27). Self-reported maternal PA time spent with one of their children was significantly correlated with the WE MVPA of all children (rs = .21) and children aged 8–10 (rs = .22) and with the WD MVPA of all children (rs = .15), children aged 8–10 (rs = .23), aged 11–12 (rs = .52), and daughters (rs = .37), and inversely correlated to the WD sedentary time of all children (rs = −.21), children aged 8–10 (rs = −.30), aged 11–12 (rs = −.34), daughters (rs = −.26), and sons (rs = −.22). In multivariate regression, significant associations were identified between reported child–mother PA time together and child MVPA and sedentary time (accelerometry). Conclusions: Mothers may influence the PA levels of their children with the strongest associations found in children aged 6–7 and daughters. Mother–child coparticipation in PA may lead to increased child MVPA and decreased sedentary behavior.

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