Martial arts enhances working memory and attention in school-aged children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Interventions can improve working memory and attention in school-aged children, but little is known about how regional changes in brain activity promoted by exercise mediate this cognitive improvement. This study focused on the improved neurocognitive functions and intrinsic regional variation within the brain by comparing school-aged children in a martial arts group with those in free-play and rest groups. With a pretest–posttest design, the d2 attention test and N-back tasks were carried out. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was performed during the pre- and post-intervention N-back tasks and rest. Following the intervention, the d2 attention in all groups remarkably increased, and the attention level of the martial arts group was substantially higher than those of the other two groups. Free-play and martial arts shortened the 1- and 2-back task reaction time and increased the 2-back accuracy rate (AR), and the martial arts group exhibited a significantly higher AR than the other two groups. In addition, the martial arts group showed higher activations in the right orbitofrontal cortex and right Broca’s area (r-BA) regions post-intervention 1-back tasks, whereas a strong correlation was observed between 1-back performance and the related brain region. However, under the 2-back task, although the cognitive control was improved, the martial arts group decreased activation in the left frontopolar area and free play decreased the activation in the r-BA and right somatosensory cortex. Together, our findings showed that martial arts could be more conducive to cognitive improvement than physical exercise that requires no cognitive skills and that performing interventions in the earlier stages of childhood may improve the regulation of neural networks involved in cognitive control.