Author(s): BAJER, S., LUDYGA, S., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF BASEL, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 764

INTRODUCTION:
Executive functions (EF) are higher-order cognitive processes central to goal-directed behavior. Maturation of EF is prolonged, resulting in a longer period of heightened sensitivity (Ferguson et al., 2021). Muscular strength and EF start developing in early childhood and preserve training responsiveness across the lifespan. Given the developmental overlap (García-Alonso et al., 2025) muscular strength may contribute to EF. We aimed to investigate the association of muscular strength and EF as well as its moderation by age.
METHODS:
To address the research question, we analyzed data from 348 healthy children and adolescents (5-21 years) of the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) cohort (Alexander et al., 2017). EF was assessed using NIH Toolbox tasks (Flanker, Card Sorting) and the WISC-V Digit Span Backward, capturing inhibition, task shifting and working memory updating (WM) in a composite EF score. Muscular strength was assessed with the FitnessGram battery (curl-up, push-up and trunk lift) and integrated into a composite strength score.
RESULTS:
Using structural equation modelling, we found that greater muscular strength was significantly associated with better WM (β = .223, p = .006), cognitive flexibility (β = .193, p = .001) and inhibition (β = .219, p < .001). These associations were partly moderated by age as the relation between muscular strength and inhibition (β = -.184, p < .001) as well as cognitive flexibility (β = -.097, p = .048) was lower in participants with higher age.
CONCLUSION:
Higher muscular strength is associated with better inhibition, cognitive flexibility and WM promoting a cohesive relationship of the three subdomains. As the associations for inhibition and cognitive flexibility appear to vary as a function of age, there might be developmental periods in which EF is more sensitive to aspects of physical fitness, such as muscle strength.
REFERENCES:
Alexander, L. M., Escalera, J., Ai, L., Andreotti, C., Febre, K., Mangone, A., Vega-Potler, N., Langer, N., Alexander, A., Kovacs, M., Litke, S., O’Hagan, B., Andersen, J., Bronstein, B., Bui, A., Bushey, M., Butler, H., Castagna, V., Camacho, N., … Milham, M. P. (2017). An open resource for transdiagnostic research in pediatric mental health and learning disorders. Scientific Data, 4(1), 170181. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.181
Ferguson, H. J., Brunsdon, V. E. A., & Bradford, E. E. F. (2021). The developmental trajectories of executive function from adolescence to old age. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80866-1
García-Alonso, Y., Ramírez-Vélez, R., Legarra-Gorgoñon, G., Izquierdo, M., & Alonso-Martínez, A. M. (2025). Associations between physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and executive function in preschoolers. Pediatric Research, 98(4), 1492–1499. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-03946-w