The Effects of Gymnastics Programs with Different Cognitive Loads on Working Memory and Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the effects of gymnastics programs with high versus low cognitive load on children's visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) oxygenation. Methods Eighty-one healthy children 7 to 10 yr of age from Taipei City were randomly assigned to high cognitive load (HG), low cognitive load (LG), and control (SC) groups. The HG and the LG groups underwent an 8-wk gymnastics program with different levels of cognitive load, whereas the SC group participated in a static course. Pre- and postintervention assessments included VSWM tests and simultaneous monitoring of PFC oxyhemoglobin (HbO) concentration. Results The results showed time-related improvements in response accuracy and d-prime (d′) from the pretest to posttest for both the HG and the LG groups but not for the SC group. Additionally, the HG group demonstrated higher response accuracy and d′ compared with the SC group at the posttest. Although VSWM-related HbO concentration was higher during task conditions requiring higher WM load compared with low WM load, no intervention effect was found. Further correlation analysis controlling for intervention-related fitness changes revealed positive associations between time-related changes in VSWM performance (response accuracy and d′) and HbO concentration across all participants, with a similar correlation between response accuracy and HbO remaining specifically in the HG group but not in other groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that an 8-wk gymnastics program can enhance VSWM performance and such cognitive benefits may be maximized by incorporating higher cognitive loads into the intervention. Despite the positive correlations between time-related changes in PFC oxygenation and VSWM performance, the gymnastics programs did not alter task-related PFC oxygenation, suggesting that intervention-induced VSWM improvement may not be solely dependent on changes in task-related PFC oxygenation.