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document
Improved frontoparietal white matter integrity in overweight children is associated with attendance at an after-school exercise program . Aerobic fitness is associated with white matter integrity ( WMI ) in adults as measured by diffusion tensor imaging ( DTI ) . This study examined the effect of an 8-month exercise intervention on WMI in children . Participants were 18 sedentary , overweight ( BMI≥85th percentile ) 8- to 11-year-old children ( 94 % Black ) , randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise ( n=10 ) or sedentary attention control group ( n=8 ) . Each group was offered an instructor-led after-school program every school day for approximately 8 months . Before and after the program , all subjects participated in DTI scans . Tractography was conducted to isolate the superior longitudinal fasciculus and investigate whether the exercise intervention affected WMI in this region . There was no group by time interaction for WMI in the superior longitudinal fasciculus . There was a group by time by attendance interaction , however , such that higher attendance at the exercise intervention , but not the control intervention , was associated with increased WMI . Heart rate and the total dose of exercise correlated with WMI changes in the exercise group . In the overall sample , increased WMI was associated with improved scores on a measure of attention and improved teacher ratings of executive function . This study indicates that participating in an exercise intervention improves WMI in children as compared to a sedentary after-school program .
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Intervention_Educational
after-school exercise program
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Intervention_Physical
exercise intervention
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Outcome_Physical
frontoparietal white matter integrity
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Outcome_Physical
white matter integrity ( WMI )
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Outcome_Physical
diffusion tensor imaging ( DTI )
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Outcome_Physical
WMI
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Participant_Condition
overweight
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Participant_Age
children