title: Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C). Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all P<0.001), whereas exercise capacity was only associated with better sustained attention (P<0.046) and spatial working memory (P<0.038). Fine and gross motor skills (all P<0.001), exercise capacity and cognitive functions such as working memory, episodic memory, sustained attention and processing speed were all associated with better performance in mathematics and reading comprehension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data demonstrate that fine and gross motor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic performance to elucidate the causality of these associations.
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Svend Sparre
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4497-3616
authors: SS
authors: Geertsen
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Thomas
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Malte Nejst
authors: MN
authors: Larsen
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Ida Marie
authors: IM
authors: Dahn
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Josefine Needham
authors: JN
authors: Andersen
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Matilde
authors: M
authors: Krause-Jensen
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Vibeke
authors: V
authors: Korup
authors: Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Frederikssund Municipality, Frederikssund, Denmark.
authors: Claus Malta
authors: CM
authors: Nielsen
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Wienecke
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Ritz
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Krustrup
authors: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Jesper
authors: J
authors: Lundbye-Jensen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011932:Reading