Psychophysiology — View paper

Tinney EM, Loui P, Raine LB, Hiscox LV, Delgorio PL, Kramer MK, Schwarb H, Martens CR, Kramer AF, Hillman CH, Johnson CL.

Purpose: This study sought to understand if there are differences in integrity of white matter for mild cognitive impairments (MCI) using diffusion tensor imaging and examined using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics.

Hypothesis: The hypothesis was that individuals with MCI would have diminished white matter integrity for older adult populations.

Results/Discussion: Our data showed increased axial diffusivity in the splenium & body of corpus collosum, superior corona radiata, and retrolenticular part of the internal capsule for individuals with MCI compared to healthy individuals. The data further suggests relationships for body composition and cognition on diffusivity outcome measures. Lastly, white matter integrity was positively associated with relational memory performance. These areas may be indicators of early neurodegenerative diseases and lifestyle factors may play a role in white matter integrity.

Frontiers in Public Health — View paper

Raine LB, Erickson KI, Grove G, Watrous JNH, McDonald K, Kang C, Jakicic JM, Forman DE, Kramer AF, Burns JM, Vidoni ED, McAuley E, Hillman CH.

Purpose: This study looked to see if there were differences in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body mass index (BMI) pre versus post COVID-19 in older adults and children.

Hypothesis: Individuals whose data had been collected at the start or during the pandemic would have a lower CRF and higher BMI compared to those individuals whose data was collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results/Discussion: Individuals tested during COVID-19 had significantly lower CRF and higher BMI compared to those tested prior to COVID-19.

BMJ Open — View paper

Pindus DM, Selzer-Ninomiya A, Nayak A, Pionke JJ, Raine LB.

Purpose: This paper looks at the evidence on the effects of reducing sedentary behavior duration by increasing time spent in physical activity on cognitive function, brain structure and function.

Discussion/Results: Sedentary behaviors increase mortality and cardiovascular and metabolic risk. There is not a lot of data that explores reducing sedentary behaviors and its effects on cognitive function, brain function, and structure.

Contemporary Clinical Trials — View paper

Cannavale CN, Keye SA, Rosok L, Martell S, Holthaus TA, Reeser G, Raine LB, Mullen SP, Cohen NJ, Hillman CH, Hammond BR, Renzi-Hammond L, Khan NA.

Purpose: To see if lutein and zeaxanthin (L + Z) supplementation has an effect on academic abilities, attentional control, memory, and macular carotenoids (MC).

Hypothesis: L + Z supplementation will improve cognition and academic achievement. Increases in MC mediates benefits for cognition and achievement.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise — View paper

Logan NE, Westfall DR, Raine LB, Anteraper SA, Chaddock-Heyman L, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Kramer AF, Hillman CH.

Purpose: To look at the relationship of excess adiposity, total abdominal adipose tissue, whole-body percent fat, body mass index (BMI), and fat-free cardiorespiratory fitness on resting-state functional connectivity.

Hypothesis: Functional connectivity would be associated with adiposity and BMI compared with cardiorespiratory fitness; visceral adipose tissue and BMI would be negatively associated with functional connectivity; whole-body percent fat, TAAT, and SAAT would be positively associated with functional connectivity; fat-free cardiorespiratory fitness would be positively associated with functional connectivity.

Results/Discussion: There were negative correlations of visceral adipose tissue and BMI to areas of the brain involved in visual, somatosensory, dorsal attention, ventral attention, limbic, frontoparietal, and default mode networks. Fat-free cardiorespiratory fitness had a positive correlation with areas involved in ventral attention and frontoparietal networks.

Nutrients — View paper

Raine LB, Watrous JNH, McDonald K, Logan NE, Khan NA, Kramer AF, Hillman CH.

Purpose: This study looks at the relationship between nutrition and related health factors on selective attention in children.

Hypothesis: Healthier behaviors will correlate with better performance on tasks testing inhibitory control

Results/Discussion: Participants who had more B-vitamins tended to have faster reaction times, and fitness had better accuracy, and increased BMI correlated with increased variability in reaction time.

Public Library of Science One — View paper

Raine LB, Lee HK, Saliba BJ, Chaddock-Heyman L, Hillman CH, Kramer AF.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between aerobic fitness, learning, and memory on a task that involved remembering names and locations on a fictitious map.

Hypothesis: Fitness would correlate with improved learning and memory of locations on the fictitious map.

Results/Discussion: Initially there was no significant difference between low and high fit individuals on learning and memory; however, when tested on the information the following day, the high fit individuals tended to perform better than the low fit individuals.

Journal of cognitive enhancement — View paper

Raine, Lauren & Kao, Shih-Chun & Pindus, Dominika & Westfall, Daniel & Shigeta, Tatsuya & Logan, Nicole & Cadenas-Sanchez, Cristina & Li, Jane & Drollette, Eric & Pontifex, Matthew & Khan, Naiman & Kramer, Arthur & Hillman, Charles. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between childhood aerobic fitness on cognition using data including cognitive task scores and P3 ERP measurements.

Hypothesis: There will be larger cognitive differences due to fitness levels in the tasks that require more inhibitory control (incongruent tasks rather than congruent-incongruent tasks)

Results/Discussion: Higher fitness was correlated with higher incongruent P3 amplitude, however there were no correlations between fitness and incongruent P3 latency, congruent latency, or congruent amplitude. Higher fitness was associated with improved accuracy for both congruent and incongruent trials.

Pediatric exercise science — View paper

Lauren B. Raine, John R. Biggan, Carol L. Baym, Brian J. Saliba, Neal J. Cohen, Charles H. Hillman (2018)