NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery in Young and Older Adults: Reliability and Relationship to Adiposity and Physical Activity.
Keith R Cole, Chu-Ling Yen, Shauna Dudley-Javoroski and 1 others
PMID 31567883WHAT IT FOUND
The NIH Toolbox executive function tests showed acceptable day-to-day stability in healthy adults.
Older participants had more consistent scores than younger ones. Age and body fat percentage correlated with cognitive performance, but self-reported physical activity did not.
Key findings
01Between-day reliability of NIH Toolbox executive function measures was generally acceptable for both young and older adults, with older participants showing greater score stability than younger participants.
02Age was significantly correlated with unadjusted executive function scores, and body fat percentage was significantly correlated with the Flanker test score, but self-reported physical activity was not correlated with any cognitive measure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and recruited from the community, not clinical settings. Participants were generally healthier and more physically active than the general population, which may explain why physical activity did not correlate with cognition. Physical activity was measured by self-report, which is less accurate than direct measurement. The study did not include individuals with cognitive impairment or significant health conditions.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the developer of the Toolbox being tested.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that physical activity has no link to executive function based on this study. The lack of correlation here may be because the participants were already very active and lean, leaving little room to see a benefit, and because activity was measured by self-report rather than directly.