The role of aerobic fitness in cortical thickness and mathematics achievement in preadolescent children.
Growing evidence suggests that aerobic fitness benefits the brain and cognition during childhood. The present study is the first to explore cortical brain structure of higher fit and lower fit 9- and 10-year-old children, and how aerobic fitness and cortical thickness relate to academic achievement. We demonstrate that higher fit children (>70th percentile VO2max) showed decreased gray matter thickness in superior frontal cortex, superior temporal areas, and lateral occipital cortex, coupled with better mathematics achievement, compared to lower fit children (<30th percentile VO2max). Furthermore, cortical gray matter thinning in anterior and superior frontal areas was associated with superior arithmetic performance. Together, these data add to our knowledge of the biological markers of school achievement, particularly mathematics achievement, and raise the possibility that individual differences in aerobic fitness play an important role in cortical gray matter thinning during brain maturation. The establishment of predictors of academic performance is key to helping educators focus on interventions to maximize learning and success across the lifespan.
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America.
Laura
L
Chaddock-Heyman
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Kirk I
KI
Erickson
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Caitlin
C
Kienzler
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Matthew
M
King
Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America.
Matthew B
MB
Pontifex
Department of Kinesiology & Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Lauren B
LB
Raine
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America; Department of Kinesiology & Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Charles H
CH
Hillman
Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America.
Arthur F
AF
Kramer
D000124:Achievement; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D010809:Physical Fitness