Development of cardiorespiratory fitness standards for working memory using receiver operating curves in 15-year-old adolescents

Background: Working memory performance is associated with better academic achievements in children and adolescents, and it is positively related to CRF. However, what level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) discriminates higher working memory performance is not known. The purpose of this study was to identify CRF thresholds linked to working memory in adolescents. Methods: Data of 141 adolescents (53.2 % girls) were collected (14.9 years) from a cross-sectional study during the year 2019. CRF was assessed by the 20-m shuttle run test, and maximal oxygen uptake was calculated using the Mahar ' s equation. Working memory was evaluated by the Corsi blocks test and performance was classified by percentiles. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify CRF thresholds. Results: The ROC analysis indicated that CRF could be used to discriminate working memory in adolescents. CRF thresholds of >= 45.03 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)for boys and >= 36.63 ml.kg(-1).min(-1)for girls were found to be indicative of "normal" working memory performance. Conclusions: CRF could discriminate low and normal working memory performance in 14-16- year-old adolescents. These thresholds could allow for earlier identification and intervention of low working memory performance using CRFThe authors would like to thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) for the research productivity grant (ERVR) and the CoordenacAo de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) for the PhD/MSc scholarship (VMRW, DZF, MROB)

Association between cardiorrespiratory fitness and cognitive control: is somatic maturity an important mediator?

Recently some articles presented information related to the possible effect of maturity over the cognitive control and cardiorespiratory fitness, however little is known about the real effects of maturity in the relation of these variables. In this sense, the purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating role of somatic maturity on the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cognitive control. This three-year longitudinal research comprises two data collection groups: a baseline conducted in 2016 with 394 adolescents (aged 11.7 ± 0.6 years) and a follow-up in 2019 with 134 adolescents (aged 14.9 ± 0.7 years). Anthropometry data, 20-m shuttle run test and peak height velocity (PHV) to determine the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) and somatic maturity, respectively, were collected at both sampling times. In parallel, the Sociodemographic and cognitive control function variables were included in the follow-up to evaluate the inhibitory control (by the Stroop test) and the visuo-spatial working memory (by the Corsi block-tapping test). Associations between CRF and cognitive functions were computed by multiple linear regression, with mediation as a function of PHV. CRF exhibited transversal associations with reaction time in congruent (β = -0.004; p = 0.001) and incongruent (β = -0.005; p = 0.004) stimulus-responses. Meanwhile, the variation in VO2max over the three year-study had a significant impact on the reaction time of congruent (β = -0.006; p = 0.001) and incongruent (β = -0.006; p = 0.012) responses at follow-up. However, PHV did not show a significant association with the cognitive functions, indicating no mediating role. Although the associations between CRF and the cognitive functions exhibited great transversal and longitudinal impacts, somatic maturity did not affect the cognitive control functions, associating exclusively with CRF