Gray matter volume moderates the effect of acute physical activity on cognitive load and relates to reading comprehension in adolescents: the Cogni-Action Project.
15 affiliations
- 1IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
- 2Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Well-Being (CID3B), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
- 3Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona (UBNeuro), Barcelona, Spain.
- 4Vision and Control of Action Group, Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- 5Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
- 6Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
- 7AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, FL, United States.
- 8Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar, Chile.
- 9Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
- 10Instituto de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Millennium Nucleus for the Science of Learning (MiNSoL), Valparaíso, Chile.
- 11Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, HMU Health and Medical University Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany.
- 12Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- 13School of Education, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- 14Faculty of Education, & Physical Activity, Sport & Exercise (PASER) Research Theme, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- 15Body-Brain-Mind Laboratory, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Abstract
Background
Acute physical activity reduces cognitive load (CL) and improves reading comprehension; however, the role of gray matter volume in these effects is unknown. This study examined how gray matter volume moderates the effects of physical activity on cognitive load, and explored its association with reading comprehension.Methods
A total of 13 male adolescents (aged 12-13 years), a neuroimaging subsample of a larger cohort, completed a randomized crossover trial that involved three energy-matched conditions: sedentary condition (SC), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), and cooperative high-intensity interval training (C-HIIT). We measured gray matter volume in the hippocampus, pars opercularis, and brainstem using MRI. The primary outcome cognitive load (pupil dilation) was analyzed using within-subject permutation with max-T correction and bootstrapping. Reading comprehension served as a secondary, exploratory outcome.Results
Physical activity was a significant predictor of cognitive load (p < 0.001). Comprehension improved for the C-HIIT condition compared to SC; gray matter volume alone did not predict these results. Volume significantly moderated cognitive load in a region-specific pattern: hippocampal volume amplified the cognitive load increases associated with C-HIIT [β = 0.26, 95% CI (0.21, 0.30)], while pars opercularis and brainstem volumes reduced the cognitive load (β = -0.30 to -0.32, p < 0.001); C-HIIT resulted in the lowest absolute cognitive load. Reading comprehension was higher under C-HIIT compared to SC (g = 0.87) and MICT (g = 0.50), with gains exploratorily associated with the pars opercularis volume (rho = 0.53-0.59).Conclusion
Gray matter volume influenced cognitive load through its interaction with physical activity modality, with C-HIIT producing the lowest cognitive load. Comprehension gains under C-HIIT were exploratorily associated with pars opercularis volume, suggesting that specific neuroanatomical characteristics may complement activity modality for cognitive benefits in school settings.
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BibTeX
@article{cristimontero2026gray,
title = {{Gray matter volume moderates the effect of acute physical activity on cognitive load and relates to reading comprehension in adolescents: the Cogni-Action Project.}},
author = {Carlos Cristi-Montero and Ricardo Martínez-Flores and Hans Supèr and Javier Sanchez-Martinez and Patricio Solis-Urra and Benjamin Tari and Romualdo Ibáñez and Fabian Herold and Fred Paas and Myrto Mavilidi and Liye Zou},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1930058},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903115},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gray matter volume moderates the effect of acute physical activity on cognitive load and relates to reading comprehension in adolescents: the Cogni-Action Project.
AU - Carlos Cristi-Montero
AU - Ricardo Martínez-Flores
AU - Hans Supèr
AU - Javier Sanchez-Martinez
AU - Patricio Solis-Urra
AU - Benjamin Tari
AU - Romualdo Ibáñez
AU - Fabian Herold
AU - Fred Paas
AU - Myrto Mavilidi
AU - Liye Zou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1930058
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903115
AB - Background Acute physical activity reduces cognitive load (CL) and improves reading comprehension; however, the role of gray matter volume in these effects is unknown. This study examined how gray matter volume moderates the effects of physical activity on cognitive load, and explored its association with reading comprehension.Methods A total of 13 male adolescents (aged 12-13 years), a neuroimaging subsample of a larger cohort, completed a randomized crossover trial that involved three energy-matched conditions: sedentary condition (SC), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), and cooperative high-intensity interval training (C-HIIT). We measured gray matter volume in the hippocampus, pars opercularis, and brainstem using MRI. The primary outcome cognitive load (pupil dilation) was analyzed using within-subject permutation with max-T correction and bootstrapping. Reading comprehension served as a secondary, exploratory outcome.Results Physical activity was a significant predictor of cognitive load (p < 0.001). Comprehension improved for the C-HIIT condition compared to SC; gray matter volume alone did not predict these results. Volume significantly moderated cognitive load in a region-specific pattern: hippocampal volume amplified the cognitive load increases associated with C-HIIT [β = 0.26, 95% CI (0.21, 0.30)], while pars opercularis and brainstem volumes reduced the cognitive load (β = -0.30 to -0.32, p < 0.001); C-HIIT resulted in the lowest absolute cognitive load. Reading comprehension was higher under C-HIIT compared to SC (g = 0.87) and MICT (g = 0.50), with gains exploratorily associated with the pars opercularis volume (rho = 0.53-0.59).Conclusion Gray matter volume influenced cognitive load through its interaction with physical activity modality, with C-HIIT producing the lowest cognitive load. Comprehension gains under C-HIIT were exploratorily associated with pars opercularis volume, suggesting that specific neuroanatomical characteristics may complement activity modality for cognitive benefits in school settings.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -