Physical Activity May Enhance Cognitive Performance In Kids

The New York Times (10/8, Reynolds) “Well” blog reported that according to a study published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, physical activity appears to enhance cognitive performance in youngsters. The study of 220 eight- and nine-year-old children revealed that kids who took part in a year-long exercise program “displayed substantial improvements in their scores on each of the computer-based tests of executive function.”

In addition, “they were better at ‘attentional inhibition,’ which is the ability to block out irrelevant information and concentrate on the task at hand, than they had been at the start of the program, and had heightened abilities to toggle between cognitive tasks.”

Related Links:

— “How Exercise Can Boost Young Brains,” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, October 8, 2014.

Posted in In The News.