Sympathetic Nervous System Mediation of Acute Exercise Effects on Childhood Brain and Cognition

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

297 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-02-10

Study Completion Date

2024-06-30

Brief Summary

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Today's children have become increasingly inactive and unfit, with \>50% of children not meeting the recommended 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Previous research has suggested that acute aerobic exercise of moderate intensity was associated with improved cognition manifested by improved performance and increased P3 amplitude, a neuroelectric indicator that reflects the amount of attentional allocation, in tasks requiring cognitive control. While minimal evidence exists to support potential mechanisms underlying the transient effects of exercise on brain and cognition, research suggests that phasic changes in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) (as measured by salivary alpha amylase (sAA)) system are a potential mechanism for explaining the acute effect of exercise on brain and cognition. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine the mechanisms linking acute aerobic exercise to improved cognitive control as well as the underlying neuroelectrical activities in children, using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs). We hope to gain a better understanding of the role of acute exercise and cognitive and brain health. The results from this study will help identify mechanisms linking acute exercise to enhanced cognitive performance in children.

Our hypothesis is that exercise-induced phasic increases in sympathetic nervous system activity will mediate the effect of a single bout of exercise on brain function, cognition, and standardized achievement test performance.

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Exercise Cognition

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Aerobic Exercise Intervention

Participants will exercise on a motor-driven treadmill at a constant speed during the 23-min period.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Aerobic Exercise Intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

The protocol will include a 25-min bout of exercise at an intensity of 75% HRmax, such that participants will engage in a 1-min warm up and a 1-min cool down, with the majority of time (i.e., 23-min) spent exercising at 75% of HRmax.

Trier Social Stress Test for Children

The Trier Social Stress Test for Children consists of a speech task in which children must finish a story and a mental arithmetic task, completed in front of a camera and two neutral observers.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Trier Social Stress Test for Children

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will be asked to imagine that they are in a new class with 20 other students, and that their teacher has asked them to stand in front of the class and introduce themselves. The mental arithmetic task will entail asking children to serially subtract the number 5 from a larger number as quickly as possible.

Seated Rest

Participants will sit in a comfortable chair, placed in the same room as the motor-driven treadmill, for a period of 25-min.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Seated Rest

Intervention Type OTHER

Children will be asked to sit quietly or read a book of their choosing.

Interventions

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Aerobic Exercise Intervention

The protocol will include a 25-min bout of exercise at an intensity of 75% HRmax, such that participants will engage in a 1-min warm up and a 1-min cool down, with the majority of time (i.e., 23-min) spent exercising at 75% of HRmax.

Intervention Type OTHER

Trier Social Stress Test for Children

Participants will be asked to imagine that they are in a new class with 20 other students, and that their teacher has asked them to stand in front of the class and introduce themselves. The mental arithmetic task will entail asking children to serially subtract the number 5 from a larger number as quickly as possible.

Intervention Type OTHER

Seated Rest

Children will be asked to sit quietly or read a book of their choosing.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Parental/guardian consent (non-consent of guardian).
* Participants must have had no prior diagnosis of cognitive or physical disability, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (severe asthma, epilepsy, chronic kidney disease, and dependence upon a wheelchair/walking aid).
* Participants must be free of any type of anti-psychotic, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medication, as well as those medications used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (use of any anti-psychotic, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications).
* Normal or corrected-to-normal vision based on the minimal 20/20 standard in order to complete the cognitive task (below 20/20 vision).
* Participants must have not yet reached, or be in the earliest stages, of puberty, as measured by a modified test of the Tanner Staging System (onset of puberty as determined by Tanner).
* English speaking.