Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
J Sports Sci. 2012;30(5):421-30. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2011.647706. Epub 2012 Jan 19.
Aerobically fit children outperform less fit peers on cognitive control challenges that involve inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. The aim of this study was to determine whether, compared with less fit children, more fit 9- and 10-year-old pre-adolescents exhibit superior performance on a modified compatible and incompatible flanker task of cognitive control at the initial time of fitness testing and approximately one year later. We found that more fit children demonstrated increased flanker accuracy at both test sessions, coupled with a superior ability to flexibly allocate strategies during task conditions that required different amounts of cognitive control, relative to less fit children. More fit children also gained a speed benefit at follow-up testing. Structural MRI data were also collected to investigate the relationship between basal ganglia volume and task performance. Bilateral putamen volumes of the dorsal striatum and globus pallidus volumes predicted flanker performance at initial and follow-up testing one year later. The present findings suggest that childhood aerobic fitness and basal ganglia volumes relate to cognitive control at the time of fitness testing and may play a role in cognitive performance in the future. We hope that this research will encourage public health and educational changes that will promote a physically active lifestyle in children.
有氧能力强的儿童在涉及抑制、认知灵活性和工作记忆的认知控制挑战方面的表现优于有氧能力弱的同龄人。本研究的目的是确定与有氧能力弱的儿童相比，9 岁和 10 岁的青少年在最初的健身测试和大约一年后进行的改良相容和不相容侧翼任务认知控制测试中，是否表现出更好的表现。我们发现，在两次测试中，有氧能力较强的儿童的侧翼准确性都有所提高，并且在需要不同程度认知控制的任务条件下，能够更灵活地分配策略，相对于有氧能力较弱的儿童。有氧能力较强的儿童在随访测试中也获得了速度优势。还收集了结构 MRI 数据，以研究基底神经节体积与任务表现之间的关系。背侧纹状体的双侧壳核体积和苍白球体积预测了初始和一年后随访测试中的侧翼表现。本研究结果表明，儿童有氧健身和基底神经节体积与健身测试时的认知控制有关，并且可能在未来的认知表现中发挥作用。我们希望这项研究将鼓励公共卫生和教育方面的改变，以促进儿童的积极生活方式。
