Brain Activity For Food Inhibition In Children With Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness: An Fmri Study

Abstract

Inhibitory cognitive control in children has been associated with future educational attainment, healthy body composition and eating behavior. Regular practice of aerobic exercise has shown to improve inhibitory cognitive control in children, however the brain areas involved in this cognitive domain, in particular those related to the inhibition of high caloric food, are unclear. PURPOSE: To identify the effects of enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness on brain activity involved in food-specific inhibitory control in children. METHODS: 22 children (10±1.4 years old) participated in this study by completing general anthropometric assessments, a graded shuttle run test to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and a food-specific cognitive task while acquiring functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data by a 1.5 T MRI scanner. During the scanner children performed a Go/No-go task. Pictures of objects (neutral) were used as Go stimulus and caloric food and toys pictures as No-go stimulus. The entire protocol consisted in three blocks No-go food, and three No-go toy. Each block contained 50 trials (80% Go stimulus). Children were divided in two groups (Lower fitness x Higher Fitness) separated by the median value of VO2max. Unpaired Student's t-tests were used to compare cognitive performance between groups. Food specific-inhibitory control was assessed comparing which brain areas were more activated during No-Go conditions (Food) between groups by a two sample t-test. RESULTS: No differences were found between groups for the cognitive performance (number of errors) and general anthropometric variables (p>0.05). However, children with higher cardiorespiratory fitness during the food-specific cognitive task had greater activation of areas related to cognition (prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule), motor control (primary motor cortex and primary somatosensory cortex) and homeostatic regulation (insular cortex) (T=2.89; p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Cardiorespiratory fitness might influence the brain activity during inhibition control of high caloric food in children. This finding suggests that regularly performed aerobic exercise by children may promote functional adaptations on the brain that could affect future eating behaviors.