Rumour: Physical activity can influence the shape of different brain areas
Truth: This is true.
According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the exercises performed in the study were related to the shapes of a number of subcortical regions in the brain. In the trial, children with a mean age of 9.7 years were instructed to perform a physical fitness test; this test examined their cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, lower-body strength, and sped agility. Following the physical fitness test, an MRI scan was performed to determine if there were any changes in the brain’s structure and size.
Researchers determined that this physical fitness test resulted in physical changes in several brain areas. Following the test, researchers saw a number of subcortical brain areas increased in size following the exercise. However, the volume of the entire brain remained unchanged before and after the physical fitness test. Read more about the impact of physical activity on the brain here.
