TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical fitness, hippocampal functional connectivity and academic performance in children with overweight/obesity
T2 - the ActiveBrains project
AU - Esteban-Cornejo, Irene
AU - Stillman, Chelsea M
AU - Rodriguez-Ayllon, Maria
AU - Kramer, Arthur F
AU - Hillman, Charles H
AU - Catena, Andrés
AU - Erickson, Kirk I
AU - Ortega, Francisco B
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2013-47540, BES-2014-068829, DEP2016-79512-R & PSI2012-3929, DEP2017-91544-EXP, RTI2018-095284-J-100), the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation and for the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC-2011-09011 & IJCI-2017-33642). This study takes place thanks to the additional funding from the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, SOMM17/6107/UGR). Additional funding from the EXERNET Research Network on Exercise and Health in Special Populations (DEP2005-00046/ACTI, the SAMID III network, RETICS, funded by the PN I + D + I 2017-2021 (Spain), ISCIII- Sub-Directorate General for Research Assessment and Promotion and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (Ref. RD16/0022, SOMM17/6107/UGR). The present study was awarded “Premios Nacionales de Investigación en Medicina del Deporte Liberbank, año 2019. Escuela de Medicina del Deporte. Universidad de Oviedo”. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the children and parents who participated in this study. This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2013-47540, BES-2014-068829, DEP2016-79512-R & PSI2012-3929, DEP2017-91544-EXP, RTI2018-095284-J-100), the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation and for the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC-2011-09011 & IJCI-2017-33642). This study takes place thanks to the additional funding from the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigaci?n 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), the Junta de Andaluc?a, Consejer?a de Conocimiento, Investigaci?n y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, SOMM17/6107/UGR). Additional funding from the EXERNET Research Network on Exercise and Health in Special Populations (DEP2005-00046/ACTI, the SAMID III network, RETICS, funded by the PN I + D + I 2017-2021 (Spain), ISCIII- Sub-Directorate General for Research Assessment and Promotion and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (Ref. RD16/0022, SOMM17/6107/UGR). The present study was awarded ?Premios Nacionales de Investigaci?n en Medicina del Deporte Liberbank, a?o 2019. Escuela de Medicina del Deporte. Universidad de Oviedo?. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Objectives: Physical fitness is a modifiable factor associated with enhanced brain health during childhood. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine: (i) whether physical fitness components (i.e., cardiorespiratory, motor and muscular fitness) are associated with resting state functional connectivity of hippocampal seeds to different cortical regions in children with overweight/obesity, and (ii) whether resting state hippocampal functional connectivity is coupled with better academic performance. Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 99 children with overweight/obesity aged 8–11 years were recruited from Granada, Spain (November 2014 to February 2016). The physical fitness components were assessed following the ALPHA health-related fitness test battery. T1-weighted and resting-state fMRI images were acquired with a 3.0 Tesla Siemens Magnetom Tim Trio system. Academic performance was assessed by the Woodcock-Muñoz standardized test. Hippocampal seed-based procedures with post-hoc regression analyses were performed. Results: In the fully adjusted models, cardiorespiratory fitness was independently associated with greater hippocampal connectivity between anterior hippocampus and frontal regions (β ranging from 0.423 to 0.424, p < 0.001). Motor fitness was independently associated with diminished hippocampal connectivity between posterior hippocampus and frontal regions (β ranging from −0.583 to −0.694, p < 0.001). However, muscular fitness was not independently associated with hippocampal functional connectivity. Positive resting state hippocampal functional connectivity was related to better written expression (β ranging from 0.209 to 0.245; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Physical fitness components may associate with functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions and frontal regions, independent of hippocampal volume, in children with overweight/obesity. Particularly, cardiorespiratory fitness may enhance anterior hippocampal functional connectivity and motor fitness may diminish posterior hippocampal functional connectivity. In addition, resting state hippocampal functional connectivity may relate to better written expression.
AB - Objectives: Physical fitness is a modifiable factor associated with enhanced brain health during childhood. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine: (i) whether physical fitness components (i.e., cardiorespiratory, motor and muscular fitness) are associated with resting state functional connectivity of hippocampal seeds to different cortical regions in children with overweight/obesity, and (ii) whether resting state hippocampal functional connectivity is coupled with better academic performance. Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 99 children with overweight/obesity aged 8–11 years were recruited from Granada, Spain (November 2014 to February 2016). The physical fitness components were assessed following the ALPHA health-related fitness test battery. T1-weighted and resting-state fMRI images were acquired with a 3.0 Tesla Siemens Magnetom Tim Trio system. Academic performance was assessed by the Woodcock-Muñoz standardized test. Hippocampal seed-based procedures with post-hoc regression analyses were performed. Results: In the fully adjusted models, cardiorespiratory fitness was independently associated with greater hippocampal connectivity between anterior hippocampus and frontal regions (β ranging from 0.423 to 0.424, p < 0.001). Motor fitness was independently associated with diminished hippocampal connectivity between posterior hippocampus and frontal regions (β ranging from −0.583 to −0.694, p < 0.001). However, muscular fitness was not independently associated with hippocampal functional connectivity. Positive resting state hippocampal functional connectivity was related to better written expression (β ranging from 0.209 to 0.245; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Physical fitness components may associate with functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions and frontal regions, independent of hippocampal volume, in children with overweight/obesity. Particularly, cardiorespiratory fitness may enhance anterior hippocampal functional connectivity and motor fitness may diminish posterior hippocampal functional connectivity. In addition, resting state hippocampal functional connectivity may relate to better written expression.
KW - Academic performance
KW - Behavior
KW - Brain
KW - Childhood
KW - fMRI
KW - Functional connectivity
KW - Hippocampus
KW - Obesity
KW - Physical fitness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092911261&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85092911261&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.10.006
DO - 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.10.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 33049365
VL - 91
SP - 284
EP - 295
JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
SN - 0889-1591
ER -