Strength, Affect Regulation, and Subcortical Morphology in Military Pilots

Introduction Previous studies have shown links of body composition and fitness measures with brain structure, as well as with different aspects of emotional adjustment and well-being. However, the possible role of trait emotion-regulation success in the relationship between fitness/body composition and emotion-related subcortical structures have never been directly addressed Methods 23 elite helicopter pilots were assessed in fat mass percentage, an endurance test to volitional exhaustion, bench-press power output, and negative urgency (trait affect regulation failure). Their brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate the size of the accumbens/amygdala complex and the thalamus. Resulting correlations were used to test the relationship between body composition/fitness measures and brain structures' size, and the role of negative urgency therein, using structural equation modelling. Results Fat mass percentage was associated with the size of the thalamus and the amygdala/accumbens complex. In the latter case, negative urgency and bench-press power output predicted structure size (and explained the effect of fat mass percentage away). In other words, bench-press power output and emotion regulation success (but not endurance performance) were associated with a larger amygdala-accumbens size. Conclusion Bench-press power output and emotion regulation success are independently associated with a larger amygdala-accumbens size, although present evidence does not allow determination of causal directionality. Corresponding author: David Cárdenas, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18011 Granada, Spain. Tel: +34 958244375. Fax: +34 958244369. E-mail: dcardena@ugr.es Research by the first author is funded by a Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant (State Secretariat for Research, Development and Innovation Secretary DEP2013-48211-R), and grant PIN 11 from CEMIX (Centro Mixto UGR-MADOC, Spain). Research by the fourth author is supported by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Secretaría de Estado de Invetigación, Desarrollo e Innovación; Convocatoria 2013 de Proyectos I+D de Excelencia), under grant with reference number PSI2013-45055-P (G-Brain). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The results of the study are presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation. No conflicting financial, consultant, institutional, or other interests exist. Results of the present study do not constitute endorsement by the American College of Sports Medicine. Accepted for Publication: 12 November 2017 © 2017 American College of Sports Medicine

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