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Background:Obesity is an epidemic, affecting >340 million children and adolescents worldwide. When left untreated, obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline, and mental health disorders. However, enhanced cardiovascular fitness through participation in exercise can prevent obesity, and consequently, promotes physical health, cognitive and brain health, and mental wellbeing. Purpose:The aim of the present study was to examine the mediating influence of adiposity and mental wellbeing on the preadolescent brain’s response to acute exercise.Methods:In a sample of 58 children (ages 8-10; 19 females), demographic measures of age, sex, IQ, and socioeconomic status were considered. Children participated in a randomized crossover study, whereby they completed two different interventions; seated rest or treadmill walking, counterbalanced across participants. Associations between adiposity measures (body mass index [BMI], whole body percent fat), cardiorespiratory fitness measures (VO2max and Fat-Free VO2), and self-reported measures of mental wellbeing were assessed on cognitive performance (response accuracy, reaction time) and neuroelectric (P3 amplitude and latency) indices of a Go/NoGo task following both exercise and rest interventions. Results:Higher adiposity (whole-body percent fat, BMI) was associated with higher trait anxiety (p’s≤0.05) and disordered eating (p’s≤0.05) scores. Higher fitness (VO2max) was associated with lower childhood depression scores (p=0.02). With higher whole-body percent fat, trait anxiety increased and mediated poorer neuroelectric metrics (P3 amplitude decrease) on the NoGo Task, after exercise (95%CI=-0.43,-0.11). In children with higher adiposity (whole-body percent fat, BMI), associations were observed with greater cognitive performance and effective neuroelectric profile during a Go/NoGo task (increased accuracy, decreased SD RT, increased P3 amplitude, decreased P3 latency) after rest (p’s≤0.05), but not after the exercise intervention (p’s>0.05). In children with higher fitness (VO2max, FF-VO2), associations were observed with better performance on the Go/NoGo task (greater accuracy, lower SD RT) after exercise (p’s≤0.05), but not after rest (p’s>0.05). Conclusion:As rates of childhood obesity, anxiety, and physical inactivity continue to increase worldwide, these results have implications for the mental health and wellness of children. By addressing the obesity epidemic with cost-effective behavioral treatments such as exercise, improvements in the rate of psychopathology development in youth, and consequently, improvements in cognitive and brain function, may also benefit. |
