Niemann C., Wegner M., Voelcker-Rehage C., Holzweg M., Arafat A.M., Budde H.
Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University Bremen GGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Centre for Human Performance Science, Stellenbosch University, 1011 Jannie Maraishuis, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa; Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany; Department of Sport Science, School of Science and Engineering, Reykjavik University, Menntavegur 1, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland; Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg (MSH), Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
Niemann, C., Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University Bremen GGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Wegner, M., Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Voelcker-Rehage, C., Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University Bremen GGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; Holzweg, M., Centre for Human Performance Science, Stellenbosch University, 1011 Jannie Maraishuis, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa; Arafat, A.M., Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany; Budde, H., Department of Sport Science, School of Science and Engineering, Reykjavik University, Menntavegur 1, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland, Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg (MSH), Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
We investigated whether the chronic physical activity participation had an impact on the acute effects of a short bout of 12 min of intensive physical activity on cognitive performance and testosterone concentration in primary school students (n = 42, mean age = 9.69, SD =.44; experimental group (EG), n = 27; control group (CG), n = 15). Furthermore, we looked for associations between testosterone concentration and cognitive performance. After the intervention, participants of the EG showed better cognitive performances as compared to the CG. We further observed a significant group (EG, CG) × test (pre, post) × activity level (high, low) interaction. Post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that after acute physical activity the testosterone concentration was diminished only in habitually low active children. The results indicate that intensive physical activity only attenuates the reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in habitually low active preadolescents, but had a beneficial effect on cognitive performance for all participants independent of their physical activity level and testosterone. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.