Resting-State Functional Connectivity Change in Frontoparietal and Default Mode Networks After Acute Exercise in Youth

Background: A single bout of aerobic exercise can provide acute benefits to cognition and emotion in children. Yet, little is known about how acute exercise may impact children’s underlying brain networks’ resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC).

Objective: Using a data-driven multivariate pattern analysis, we investigated the effects of a single dose of exercise on acute rsFC changes in 9-to-13-year-olds.

Methods: On separate days in a crossover design, participants (N = 21) completed 20-mins of acute treadmill walking at 65–75% heart rate maximum (exercise condition) and seated reading (control condition), with pre- and post-fMRI scans. Multivariate pattern analysis was used to investigate rsFC change between conditions.

Results: Three clusters in the left lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) of the frontoparietal network (FPN) had significantly different rsFC after the exercise condition compared to the control condition. Post-hoc analyses revealed that from before to after acute exercise, activity of these FPN clusters became more correlated with bilateral lPFC and the left basal ganglia. Additionally, the left lPFC became more anti-correlated with the precuneus of the default mode network (DMN). An opposite pattern was observed from before to after seated reading.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that a single dose of exercise increases connectivity within the FPN, FPN integration with subcortical regions involved in movement and cognition, and segregation of FPN and DMN. Such patterns, often associated with healthier cognitive and emotional control, may underlie the transient mental benefits observed following acute exercise in youth.