Pregnancy and cognition: Deficits in inhibition are unrelated to changes in fitness

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between changes in fitness and cognition that take place during pregnancy and the possibility that diminished fitness could be responsible for pregnancy-related cognitive deficits. Fifty-two pregnant women were compared to 15 nonpregnant controls on the Eriksen flanker task as well as a fitness test, both performed in a real-life setting to avoid laboratory-related biases. Results show diminished inhibition in the third trimester unrelated to fitness level. This is the first study to report the impact of pregnancy on inhibitory control.

Keywords:

• Pregnancy
• Inhibition
• Fitness
• Cognition
• Maximal oxygen consumption
• VO₂max.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Myriam Amgar, Maude Boivin, Marc Lamoureux, and Flora Marciano.

Funding

This research is funded by grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to D.E.

Disclosures of conflicts of interest: None.