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Case Reports
. 2021 Jun:49:100956.
doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100956. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Very preterm birth and cognitive control: The mediating roles of motor skills and physical fitness

Sebastian Ludyga  1 , Uwe Pühse  2 , Markus Gerber  2 , Manuel Mücke  2 , Sakari Lemola  3 , Andrea Capone Mori  4 , Mark Brotzmann  5 , Peter Weber  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Very preterm birth and cognitive control: The mediating roles of motor skills and physical fitness

Sebastian Ludyga et al. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying executive function deficits in very preterm born children still remain unclear. Moreover, evidence on factors that can be modified by behavior and exert an influence on these deficits is lacking. The present case-control study examined the association between very preterm birth and neurophysiological indices of response inhibition (i.e. the N200-P300 complex) as well as the potential mediation of this association by aspects of physical fitness. 54 children born very preterm completed a submaximal cycling ergometer test and a motor skill test battery. Event-related potentials elicited by a Go/NoGo task were recorded using electroencephalography. Cases were then matched to full-term children (age: 11 ± 0.7 y). A higher error rate on NoGo trials was found in children born very preterm compared to those born full-term. Path-analyses further revealed that very preterm birth was associated with decreased NoGo P300 amplitude. Motor skills, but not aerobic fitness, fully mediated this association. In early adolescence, very preterm birth is associated with less effective recruitment of attentional resources for stimulus evaluation processes. The improvement of motor skills rather than cardiorespiratory fitness appears promising for reducing this specific impairment in cognitive control.

Keywords: Children; Event-related potentials; N200; P300; Physical fitness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Behavioral performance on the Go/NoGo task and amplitudes of event-related potential components (means and standard deviation) displayed for children born very preterm (VPC) and full-term peers (FTC).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Models investigating the relation of birth status (0=full-term; 1=very preterm) with behavioral performance on the Go/NoGo task (left panel) and its mediation by motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness (right panel). Notes: Numbers in italics show the covariances that were estimated. All covariates included in the models are shown below the vertical line. *p < 0.05; BMI=Body mass index; Go RT=Reaction time on Go trials; MABC-2=Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2; MVPA=Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PWC170=Relative physical working capacity at 170 bpm; SDQ=Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire sum score.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Event-related potential waveforms at fronto-central region displayed for participants born very preterm and those born full-term. Notes: Solid lines represent the Go condition, whereas dashed lines represent the NoGo condition.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Models investigating the relation of birth status (0=full-term; 1=very preterm) with event-related potential components elicited by NoGo trials (left panel) and its mediation by motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness (right panel). Notes: Numbers in italics show the covariances that were estimated. All covariates included in the models are shown below the vertical line. *p < 0.05; BMI=Body mass index; MABC-2=Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2; MVPA=Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PWC170=Relative physical working capacity at 170 bpm; SDQ=Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire sum score.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Models investigating the relation of birth status (0=full-term; 1=very preterm) with event-related potential components elicited by Go trials (left panel) and its mediation by motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness (right panel). Notes: Numbers in italics show the covariances that were estimated. All covariates included in the models are shown below the vertical line. *p < 0.05; BMI=Body mass index; IDS-2=Intelligence and Development Scales-2 (value points of short screening); MABC-2=Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2; MVPA=Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PWC170=Relative physical working capacity at 170 bpm; SDQ=Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire sum score.
Fig. A1
Fig. A1
Example trials of the Go/NoGo task.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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