Cardiorespiratory Fitness and the Flexible Modulation of Cognitive Control in Preadolescent Children

■ The influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on the modulation of cognitive control was assessed in preadolescent children separated into higher- and lower-fit groups. Participants completed compatible and incompatible stimulus–response conditions of a modified flanker task, consisting of congruent and incongruent arrays, while ERPs and task performance were concurrently measured. Findings revealed decreased response accuracy for lower- relative to higher-fit participants with a selectively larger deficit in response to the incompatible stimulus–response condition, requiring the greatest amount of cognitive control. In contrast, higher-fit participants maintained response accuracy across stimulus–response compatibility conditions. Neuroelectric measures indicated that higher-fit, relative to lower-fit, participants exhibited global increases in P3 amplitude and shorter P3 latency, as well as greater modulation of P3 amplitude between the compatible and incompatible stimulus–...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: JOCN
• Authors: Matthew B. Pontifex, Lauren B. Raine, Christopher R. Johnson, Laura Chaddock, Michelle W. Voss, Neal J. Cohen, Arthur F. Kramer, Charles H. Hillman
• Keywords: Cognitive Control, JOCN 2011, Preadolescent Children, Stimulus Response