ActiveBrains Effects of an exercise-based randomized controlled trial on cognitive performance, brain structure and brain function in overweight preadolescent children.

IP: Francisco B Ortega

Contacto: ortegaf@ugr.es

Summary

The new and recent advances in neuroelectric and neuroimaging technologies provide a new era for further exploring and understanding how brain and cognition function can be stimulated by environmental factors, such as exercise, and particularly to study whether physical exercise influences brain development in early ages. The present study, namely the ActiveBrains project, aims to examine the effects of a physical exercise program on brain and cognition, as well as on selected physical and mental health outcomes in overweight/obese children. A total of 110 participants aged 8 to 11 years are randomized into an exercise group (N=57) or a control group (N=53). The intervention lasts 20-weeks, with 3-5 after-school sessions per week of 90 min each, and is mainly focused on high intensity aerobic exercise yet also includes muscle-strengthening exercises.
The extent to what the intervention effect remains 8-months after the exercise program finishes is also studied in a subsample. Brain structure and function and cognitive performance are assessed using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalographic recordings. Secondary outcomes include physical health outcomes (e.g. physical fitness, body fatness, bone mass and lipid-metabolic factors) and mental health outcomes (e.g. chronic stress indicators and overall behavioural and personality measurements such as anxiety or depression).
This project will substantially contribute to the existing knowledge and will have an impact on societies, since early stimulation of brain development might have long lasting consequences on cognitive performance, academic achievement and in the prevention of behavioural problems and the promotion of psychological adjustment and mental health.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02295072

Status

Data collection finished.
The main articles of this study are already published, yet some others are under preparation.

Funding

The ActiveBrains project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the “Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)” with the following reference number: DEP-2013-47540.

Selected Publications

Protocol study and article reporting the effects of the exercise program on the primary outcome, brain health:

Cadenas-Sánchez, C., Mora-González, J., Migueles, J. H. J. H., Martín-Matillas, M., Gómez-Vida, J., Escolano-Margarit, M. V. M. V., Maldonado, J., Enriquez, G. M. G. M., Pastor-Villaescusa, B., de Teresa, C., Navarrete, S., Lozano, R. M. R. M., de Dios Beas-Jiménez, J., Estévez-López, F., Mena-Molina, A., Heras, M. J. M. J., Chillón, P., Campoy, C., Muñoz-Hernández, V., … Ortega, F. B. F. B. F. B. (2016). An exercise-based randomized controlled trial on brain, cognition, physical health and mental health in overweight/obese children (ActiveBrains project): Rationale, design and methods. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 47, 315–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2016.02.007
Ortega, F. B., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Esteban-Cornejo, I., Migueles, J. H., Solis-Urra, P., Verdejo-Román, J., Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Molina-Garcia, P., Ruiz, J. R., Martinez-Vizcaino, V., Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., Kramer, A. F., Labayen, I., & Catena, A. (2022). Effects of an Exercise Program on Brain Health Outcomes for Children With Overweight or Obesity: The ActiveBrains Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 5(8), e2227893. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27893

Other articles showing the effects of the exercise on other outcomes and systematic reviews conducted under the umbrella of this project:

Gil-Cosano, J. J., Ubago-Guisado, E., Migueles, J. H., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Torres-Lopez, L. V, Martin-Matillas, M., Labayen, I., Ortega, F. B., & Gracia-Marco, L. (2024). A 20-week exercise program improved total body and legs bone mineral density in children with overweight or obesity: The ActiveBrains randomized controlled trial. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 27(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2023.10.005
Torres-Lopez, L. V, Migueles, J. H., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Bendtsen, M., Henriksson, P., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Löf, M., Chaput, J.-P., & Ortega, F. B. (2024). Effects of exercise on sleep in children with overweight/obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 32(2), 281–290. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23945
Mora-Gonzalez, J., Esteban-Cornejo, I., Solis-Urra, P., Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Hillman, C. H., Kramer, A. F., Catena, A., & Ortega, F. B. (2024). The effects of an exercise intervention on neuroelectric activity and executive function in children with overweight/obesity: The ActiveBrains randomized controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 34(1), e14486. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14486
Migueles, J. H., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Lubans, D. R., Henriksson, P., Torres-Lopez, L. V, Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Plaza-Florido, A., Gil-Cosano, J. J., Henriksson, H., Escolano-Margarit, M. V., Gómez-Vida, J., Maldonado, J., Löf, M., Ruiz, J. R., Labayen, I., & Ortega, F. B. (2023). Effects of an Exercise Program on Cardiometabolic and Mental Health in Children With Overweight or Obesity: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 6(7), e2324839. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.24839
Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Plaza-Florido, A., Mendez-Gutierrez, A., Altmäe, S., Solis-Urra, P., Aguilera, C. M., Catena, A., Ortega, F. B., & Esteban-Cornejo, I. (2023). The effects of a 20-week exercise program on blood-circulating biomarkers related to brain health in overweight or obese children: The ActiveBrains project. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 12(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2022.12.007
Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Mena-Molina, A., Torres-Lopez, L. V., Migueles, J. H., Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Lubans, D. R., & Ortega, F. B. (2021). Healthier Minds in Fitter Bodies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Association between Physical Fitness and Mental Health in Youth. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01520-y
Rodriguez-Ayllon, M., Cadenas-Sánchez, C., Estévez-López, F., Muñoz, N. E., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Migueles, J. H., Molina-García, P., Henriksson, H., Mena-Molina, A., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V., Catena, A., Löf, M., Erickson, K. I., Lubans, D. R., Ortega, F. B., & Esteban-Cornejo, I. (2019). Role of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in the Mental Health of Preschoolers, Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 49(9), 1383–1410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01099-5
Migueles, J. H. J. H., Cadenas-Sanchez, C., Ekelund, U., Delisle Nyström, C., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Löf, M., Labayen, I., Ruiz, J. R. J. R., Ortega, F. B. F. B., Delisle Nystrom, C., Mora-Gonzalez, J., Lof, M., Labayen, I., Ruiz, J. R. J. R., & Ortega, F. B. F. B. (2017). Accelerometer Data Collection and Processing Criteria to Assess Physical Activity and Other Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Practical Considerations. Sports Med, 47(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0716-0