Get Moving and Get Smart? Physical Fitness Boosts Brain Power in Kids

Get fit and get smart? You heard right.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois confirms that not only is exercising good for your body, it's also good for your brain.

"Previous studies suggest that children with higher levels of aerobic fitness show greater brain volumes in gray-matter brain regions important for memory and learning," said University of Illinois postdoctoral researcher Laura Chaddock-Heyman, in a news release. "Now for the first time we explored how aerobic fitness relates to white matter in children's brains."

For the study, researchers set out to examine the connections between fitness and thinking in children. They recruited 24 children between the ages of nine and 10 and used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in order to analyze five white-matter tracts in the brain. DTI works by examining water diffusion that's found in the tissues. The less amount of water, the more fibrous and compact white matter there typically is. On the other hand, researchers controlled factors such as social and economic status, age, IQ and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Findings revealed differences in the three white-matter tracts between children who were physically fit and those who were not. The involved tracts were the corpus callosum, the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the superior corona radiata, which have been linked to both attention and memory. However, researchers said they did not test or compare the children's cognitive functions.

"Previous studies in our lab have reported a relationship between fitness and white-matter integrity in older adults," added Beckman Institute director Arthur Kramer. "Therefore, it appears that fitness may have beneficial effects on white matter throughout the lifespan."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the study "Aerobic fitness is associated with greater white matter integrity in children," via the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.