Improved frontoparietal white matter integrity in overweight children is associated with attendance at an after-school exercise program.
Aerobic fitness is associated with white matter integrity (WMI) in adults as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This study examined the effect of an 8-month exercise intervention on WMI in children. Participants were 18 sedentary, overweight (BMI≥85th percentile) 8- to 11-year-old children (94% Black), randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise (n=10) or sedentary attention control group (n=8). Each group was offered an instructor-led after-school program every school day for approximately 8 months. Before and after the program, all subjects participated in DTI scans. Tractography was conducted to isolate the superior longitudinal fasciculus and investigate whether the exercise intervention affected WMI in this region. There was no group by time interaction for WMI in the superior longitudinal fasciculus. There was a group by time by attendance interaction, however, such that higher attendance at the exercise intervention, but not the control intervention, was associated with increased WMI. Heart rate and the total dose of exercise correlated with WMI changes in the exercise group. In the overall sample, increased WMI was associated with improved scores on a measure of attention and improved teacher ratings of executive function. This study indicates that participating in an exercise intervention improves WMI in children as compared to a sedentary after-school program.
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., USA.
Cynthia E
CE
Krafft
David J
DJ
Schaeffer
Nicolette F
NF
Schwarz
Lingxi
L
Chi
Abby L
AL
Weinberger
Jordan E
JE
Pierce
Amanda L
AL
Rodrigue
Jerry D
JD
Allison
Nathan E
NE
Yanasak
Tianming
T
Liu
Catherine L
CL
Davis
Jennifer E
JE
McDowell
D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D050177:Overweight / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016896:Treatment Outcome