A targeted neuropsychological examination of children with a history of sport-related concussion.

Experimental research suggests that sport-related concussion can lead to persistent alterations in children's neurophysiology and cognition. However, the search for neuropsychological tests with a similar ability to detect long-term deficits continues. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The current study assessed whether a target battery of neuropsychological measures of higher cognition and academic achievement would detect lingering deficits in children 2 years after injury. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: A total of 32 pre-adolescent children (16 concussion history, 16 control) completed a targeted battery of neuropsychological and academic tests. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Children with a history of concussion exhibited selective deficits during the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Comprehensive Trail-Making Test, and the mathematics sub-section of the WRAT-3. Deficit magnitude was significantly related to age at injury, but not time since injury. CONCLUSIONS: The current results suggest that neuropsychological measures of higher cognition and academic achievement may be sensitive to lingering deficits, and that children injured earlier in life may exhibit worse neuropsychological and academic performance.

The Relationship between Total Water Intake and Cognitive Control among Prepubertal Children.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive control (also known as executive function) encompasses mental processes that underlie goal-directed behavior, and it enables us to adjust our behavior according to changing environmental demands. Previous research among children has demonstrated that aerobic fitness and obesity have contrasting and selective effects on cognitive control. However, the relationship between water intake and childhood cognitive control remains inadequately studied. This study investigated the relationship between total water intake and cognitive control among prepubertal children (8-9-year olds). METHODS: Children between 8 and 9 years of age (n = 63) performed a modified flanker task to assess cognitive control related to inhibition (ability to resist distractions and maintain focus). Diet was measured using 3-day food records. Total water was defined as water consumed from drinking water, beverages, and food. RESULTS: A comparison of task performance across the median intake of total water revealed that children above the median exhibited shorter reaction times across multiple conditions of the flanker task, requiring variable amounts of cognitive control. Further, after adjustment of age, IQ, socioeconomic status, weight status, and aerobic fitness level, the proportion of intake comprised of water (%TW) was negatively correlated with reaction time interference, that is, the ability to maintain task performance when task conditions demanded greater inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate an association between water intake and cognitive control using a task that modulates inhibition. Specifically, higher water intake correlated with greater ability to maintain task performance when inhibitory demands are increased. Future work is needed to determine the mechanism by which water influences cognitive control among children.

From cognitive motor preparation to visual processing: The benefits of childhood fitness to brain health.

The association between a fit body and a fit brain in children has led to a rise of behavioral and neuroscientific research. Yet, the relation of cardiorespiratory fitness on premotor neurocognitive preparation with early visual processing has received little attention. Here, 41 healthy, lower and higher fit preadolescent children were administered a modified version of the Eriksen flanker task while electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral measures were recorded. Event-related potentials (ERPs) locked to the stimulus onset with an earlier than usual baseline (-900/-800 ms) allowed investigation of both the usual post-stimulus (i.e., the P1, N1 and P2) as well as the pre-stimulus ERP components, such as the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) and the prefrontal negativity (pN component). At the behavioral level, aerobic fitness was associated response accuracy, with higher fit children being more accurate than lower fit children. Fitness-related differences selectively emerged at prefrontal brain regions during response preparation, with larger pN amplitude for higher than lower fit children, and at early perceptual stages after stimulus onset, with larger P1 and N1 amplitudes in higher relative to lower fit children. Collectively, the results suggest that the benefits of being aerobically fit appear at the stage of cognitive preparation prior to stimulus presentation and the behavioral response during the performance of a task that challenges cognitive control. Further, it is likely that enhanced activity in prefrontal brain areas may improve cognitive control of visuo-motor tasks, allowing for stronger proactive inhibition and larger early allocation of selective attention resources on relevant external stimuli.