Effects of continuous and intermittent exercise on executive function in children aged 8–10 years

Abstract

Understanding the effects of acute exercise on executive function in prepubescent children may be important for the enhancement of school performance. This study assessed the effect of an acute bout of continuous (CONT) or intermittent (INT), moderate intensity treadmill exercise on executive function in young children. Twenty healthy children (age: 8.8 ±0.8y; height: 140 ±9cm; body mass: 36 ±11kg; boys: n= 9) performed a graded-exercise test to determine maximal oxygen uptake, and two, 15 minute submaximal bouts of treadmill exercise; protocols were either CONT or INT. During CONT, participants ran at 90% of gas exchange threshold. During INT, participants performed six consecutive, 2.5 minute 'blocks' of exercise, which were designed to reflect children's typical activity patterns, comprising: 45s at a heavy intensity, 33s at a moderate intensity, 10s at a severe intensity, and 62s at a low intensity. Participants performed the Stroop task before-and after (1min_Post, 15min_Post, 30min_Post) the submaximal exercise bouts. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measured cerebral perfusion and oxygenation. Regardless of Condition, Stroop performance was improved at 1min_Post compared to Pre (54.9 ±9.8 cf. 57.9 ±11s, respectively, P<0.01) and improvements were maintained until 30min_Post. NIRS (oxyhaemoglobin, total haemoglobin) explained a significant amount of variance in the change in Stroop performance for INT only (49%, P<0.05). An acute bout of exercise, of either an intermittent or continuous nature, improves executive function in children, and effects are maintained for ≤30 minutes following exercise cessation. Accordingly, it is recommended that children should engage in physical activity during periods of school recess.

Effects of acute prolonged sitting on cerebral perfusion and executive function in young adults: A randomized cross‐over trial

“…Additionally, the lack of change in estimated executive function over time may reflect the lack of sensitivity in the Stroop task with this population. We elected to use the Stroop task because it is relatively short, which would minimize mental stimulation during sitting, and it is a classic measure of prefrontal cortex function (MacLeod, ) that has been widely used to assess the effects of acute exercise on cognition (Faulkner et al, , ; Lambrick et al, ). Nonetheless, the young healthy participants in the current study may not have found the Stroop tasks sufficiently challenging.…”

“…Table height was adjusted to place feet flat on the ground with a thigh to calf angle at approximately 90 degrees, which was standardized between trials. To avoid a learned effect, participants practiced the Stroop word and Stroop color tasks until completion time plateaued, as previously reported (Faulkner et al, , ; Lambrick, Stoner, Grigg, & Faulkner, ). Participants also practiced several sets of 10 calf raises at a rate of 0.33 Hz (20 per min), set to a metronome (Pro Metronome, EUMLab, Xanin Tech).…”

“…Executive function was assessed using the Stroop inference test (Xavier Educational Software Ltd., Bangor, UK), a classic measure of prefrontal cortex function (MacLeod, ) that has been widely used to assess the effects of acute exercise on cognition (Faulkner et al, , ; Lambrick et al, ; Lucas et al, ). The Stroop interference test involves four words (blue, yellow, green, red) being randomly presented consecutively on a computer screen.…”

“…However, it should be noted that the Carter et al study investigated the middle cerebral artery, it did not assess whether the prefrontal cortex, a key structure for performing executive functions (Funahashi & Mario, 2013), was adequately perfused. The reverse has been examined; that is, acute exercise has been shown to simultaneously increase both cerebral perfusion and executive function (Faulkner, Lambrick, Kaufmann, & Stoner, 2016;Faulkner et al, 2017;Lambrick, Stoner, Grigg, & Faulkner, 2016;Lucas et al, 2012). However, further study is warranted to determine whether acute exposure to prolonged sitting reduces prefrontal cortex perfusion and executive function.…”

Acute effects of exercise posture on executive function in transient ischemic attack patients

“…This is in support of the findings of Chang and colleagues (2012), whose meta‐analysis found that the greatest positive effect on cognition occurs 11–20 min after exercise cessation. More recent research has shown that improvements in cognition can be maintained for a period of at least 30 min postexercise (Lambrick, Stoner, Grigg, & Faulkner, ; Peiffer, Darby, Fullenkamp, & Morgan, ; Tsukamoto et al, ). These previous findings, together with the current findings, may have practical implications for the rehabilitation environment.…”