Physical activity, aerobic fitness, and brain white matter: Their role for executive functions in adolescence
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Other link related to publication (opens in new window)
Date
2020-04-01
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
Series
DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, Volume 42
Abstract
Physical activity and exercise beneficially link to brain properties and cognitive functions in older adults, but the findings concerning adolescents remain tentative. During adolescence, the brain undergoes significant changes, which are especially pronounced in white matter. 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 fitness and physical activity with the brain's white matter during puberty. We investigated the connection between aerobic fitness and physical activity with the white matter in 59 adolescents. We further determined whether white matter interacts with the connection of fitness or physical activity with core executive functions. Our results show that only the level of aerobic fitness, but not of physical activity relates to white matter. Furthermore, the white matter of the corpus callosum and the right superior corona radiata moderates 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 white matter properties in adolescents. 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.Description
Keywords
Diffusion tensor imaging, Executive functions, Fitness, Fractional anisotropy, Physical activity, White matter
Other note
Citation
Ruotsalainen, I, Gorbach, T, Perkola, J, Renvall, V, Syväoja, H J, Tammelin, T H, Karvanen, J & Parviainen, T 2020, ' Physical activity, aerobic fitness, and brain white matter : Their role for executive functions in adolescence ', Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 42, 100765 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100765