Physically Fit Kids Have Faster Neuro-electrical Brain Responses: Study
Advertisement
Advertisement
The research does not prove that better level of fitness directly influences the changes seen in the electrical activity of the brain, but offer a potential mechanism to explain why fitness correlates so closely with better cognitive performance on a variety of tasks.
Charles Hillman, the professor of
"Now whether that difference is caused by fitness or maybe some third variable that (affects) both fitness and language processing, we don't know yet," he added.
The researchers used
Advertisement
The readouts from the electrodes look like seismic readings captured during an earthquake and characteristic wave patterns are associated with different tasks. These patterns are called event-related potentials (ERPs).
ERPs vary according to the person being evaluated and the nature of the stimulus, said graduate student Mark Scudder. For instance, if you hear or read a word in a sentence that makes sense, the component of the brainwave form, known as the N400, is less pronounced than if you read a sentence in which the word no longer makes sense, he explained.
The researchers found that children who were more fit (as measured by oxygen uptake during exercise) had higher amplitude N400 and P600 waves than their less-fit peers when reading normal or nonsensical sentences. The N400 also had shorter latency in children who were fit, suggesting that they processed the same information more quickly than their peers.
These differences in brain activity corresponded to better reading performance and language comprehension in the healthier children, the researchers said.
(Image: Thinkstock)
Advertisement
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- Nainital bucket list: 9 experiences you can't miss in 2024
- India Inc marks slowest quarterly revenue growth in January-March 2024: Crisil
- Nothing Phone (2a) India-exclusive Blue Edition launched starting at ₹19,999
- SC refuses to plea seeking postponement of CA exams scheduled in May
- 10 exciting weekend getaways from Delhi within 300 km in 2024