Abstract
IntroductionAdolescents have experienced decreased aerobic fitness levels and insufficient physical activity levels over the past decades. While both physical activity and aerobic fitness are related to physical and mental health, little is known concerning how they manifest in the brain during this stage of development, characterized by significant physical and psychosocial changes. The aim of the study is to examine the associations between both physical activity and aerobic fitness with brains’ functional connectivity.MethodsHere, we examined how physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with local and interhemispheric functional connectivity of the adolescent brain (n = 59), as measured with resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Physical activity was measured by hip‐worn accelerometers, and aerobic fitness by a maximal 20‐m shuttle run test.ResultsWe found that higher levels of moderate‐to‐vigorous intensity physical activity, but not aerobic fitness, were linked to increased local functional connectivity as measured by regional homogeneity in 13–16‐year‐old participants. However, we did not find evidence for significant associations between adolescents’ physical activity or aerobic fitness and interhemispheric connectivity, as indicated by homotopic connectivity.ConclusionsThese results suggest that physical activity, but not aerobic fitness, is related to local functional connectivity in adolescents. Moreover, physical activity shows an association with a specific brain area involved in motor functions but did not display any widespread associations with other brain regions. These results can advance our understanding of the behavior–brain associations in adolescents.
Highlights
Adolescents have experienced decreased aerobic fitness levels and insufficient physical activity levels over the past decades
We explored whether physical activity and aerobic fitness levels are associated with the brain's functional connectivity in adolescents, whose brains, bodies, and sociopsychological environments undergo significant changes within a short time period
The functional connectivity of the brain has been suggested as an important contributor to individual variation, for example, in context of adolescent mental health
Summary
Adolescents have experienced decreased aerobic fitness levels and insufficient physical activity levels over the past decades. The aim of the study is to examine the associations between both physical activity and aerobic fitness with brains’ functional connectivity. Results: We found that higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, but not aerobic fitness, were linked to increased local functional connectivity as measured by regional homogeneity in 13–16-year-old participants. Conclusions: These results suggest that physical activity, but not aerobic fitness, is related to local functional connectivity in adolescents. While several studies have reported that physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with mental and physical health, little is known about their relations to brain health during the unique period of adolescence, which involves significant changes in physical characteristics, social environments, and brain properties. The present study examined the associations of both physical activity and aerobic fitness with the functional connectivity of the brain
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