Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity Is Related To Pre-motor Planning In Persons With Obesity

Abstract

PURPOSE: Although previous work has demonstrated that physical activity and excess fat mass are associated with attentional control (indexed with the P3 component of event related potentials; ERP), there is limited knowledge on the neural underpinnings of motor response planning and activation. Accordingly, this study investigated the effect of obesity status on the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), a neuroelectric index of motor planning and activation. METHODS: Adults (N = 165 [98 female]; 20-45 yrs) wore hip-worn ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometers to measure physical activity. MVPA was defined using Troiano cut-points. Behavioral outcomes were recorded during the Eriksen Flanker task to assess attentional inhibition. EEG recordings were taken to elucidate response- and stimulus-locked LRPs at the C3 and C4 electrodes. Participants were separated into groups based on the BMI cutoff of 30 kg/m2 i.e., non-obese (n = 88) and obese (n = 77). Partial Pearson correlations controlling for age, sex, wear time, and handedness were conducted in each group to determine if MVPA was associated with the response- and stimulus-locked LRP amplitudes and latencies. RESULTS: Average MVPA was significantly different (P = 0.002) between the non-obese (41.8 + 25.0 min/day) and the obese group (31.2 + 17.7 min/day). Average congruent (P = 0.017) and incongruent (P = 0.005) accuracies were significantly different between each group. MVPA was related to incongruent accuracy (r = 0.311, P = 0.004) but not congruent (r = 0.161, P = 0.143) in the non-obese group. There were no relationships between MVPA and response- or stimulus-locked LRPs in the non-obese group. However, in participants with obesity, MVPA was associated with response-locked congruent (r = 0.251, P = 0.032) and incongruent (r = 0.260; P = 0.026) mean amplitude, and stimulus-locked congruent mean amplitude (r = 0.301, P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: MVPA was associated with pre-motor planning and activation in people with obesity. Future work should study the impact of physical activity on neuroelectric indices of motor response preparation in people with obesity. This work was funded by the Hass Avocado Board and the Kinesiology Department at the University of Illinois