RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEROBIC FITNESS AND PERFORMANCE IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN ADOLESCENTS

INTRODUCTION:Executive functions (EFs) refer to a set of cognitive processes responsible for maintaining behavior, emotion and thoughts, which develops from early childhood and through adolescence to adulthood (1). These functions are all crucial skills for success in all of life’s aspects, such as learning and academic achievements (1). Physical activity is a behavioral factor that can promote beneficial effects on brain health and cognition, even during adolescence (2). This occurs due to its effects on the human body, mainly on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system (2). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness and performance in multiple domains of EFs in adolescents. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-two school-aged adolescents (57 girls) aged 11‒16 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Each participant completed a progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance running (PACER) test, computerized cognitive tests (Tower of London, Berg’s Card Sorting Task, Go/No-Go Oddball, Sternberg’s Working Memory Search, and Attentional Network Task) and questionnaires for daytime sleepiness, as well as other factors that might influence cognitive performance (age, gender, pubertal stage and body mass index). The multiple linear regression analysis was used to inspect PACER laps as a continuous predictor of each cognitive outcome adjusted for age, gender, pubertal stage, body mass index percentiles, and daytime sleepiness score. Afterwards, the hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to determine the moderating gender effect on the relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive performance.
RESULTS: Higher aerobic fitness was associated with better metacognitive performance, which was assessed through planning time (B =-23, 95% CI -45 to -1, p = 0.041) and solution time (B = -50.2, 95% CI -99.9 to -0.4, p = 0.048) in performing the Tower of London task. There was a moderating gender effect only for the cognitive flexibility (p < 0.05). Higher aerobic fitness was also associated with better performance in completed categories (B = 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.1, p = 0.013) and persistent errors (B = -0.21, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.03, p = 0.020) in performing Berg’s card sorting test only for girls. There were no relationships found for Go/No-Go Oddball, Sternberg’s Working Memory Search, or Attentional Network Task (ps > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that higher aerobic fitness level was associated with better metacognition in adolescents, independent of gender. Moreover, we observed a positive relationship between aerobic fitness and cognitive flexibility only in girls.

KEYWORDS: Child & Adolescent Health; Physical Fitness & Sport; School Psychology.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. Diamond A. Executive functions. Annual review of psychology. 2013;64:135-68.
2. Herting MM, Chu X. Exercise, cognition, and the adolescent brain. Birth defects research. 2017;109(20):1672-9.