Encouraging children and adolescents to be active is important, but new research has unveiled a benefit you might not have heard about. A study provided by NeuroImage shows that exercise prior to entering junior high school allows for a higher likelihood of having cognitive control as an adult. The link is displayed by changes in neuron activity, which includes increased cortical thickness and efficiency, as well as strengthened inter-hemispheric connectivity.
Inhibitory control is a component of cognitive control. Inhibitory control is defined as “a cognitive process and more specifically, an executive function – that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral responses to stimuli in order to select a more appropriate behavior that is consistent with completing their goals.” Essentially, this function plays a crucial role in overriding impulse reactions that are not beneficial for you.
Implementing exercise has been proven to alter brain structure and functions in regions that play a role in cognitive control. These neural regions fully develop by the time you are 16. This explains why being active in your childhood and adolescent years could have a huge influence on response inhibition and its implicated neural systems in the long term.
214 participants were recruited from suburban Tokyo, and they were asked to fill out a questionnaire that inquired about their exercise during childhood and adulthood. Specifications included the age they started, period, frequency, and duration of the activities. The data was collected and organized by the developmental stage, such as childhood or early adolescence. They also were asked to answer questions about their current physical activities.
The researchers at the Tamagawa University Brain Science Institute found that childhood exercise did correlate to response inhibition later in life. This association was moderated by decreased structural and functional connectivity in the frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular, and default mode networks, as well as increased inter-hemispheric structural networks. Another important component that was accounted for was the greater cortical thickness and lesser dendritic arborization and density in these networks.
The associations between childhood exercise and response inhibition as an adult were unique to exercise habits in individuals younger than 12 years old. It was not noted in individuals who exercised after the age of 12. The researchers hypothesized that these findings suggest exercise in earlier years could contribute to improved cognitive function and long-term brain health.
The researchers have noted a few limitations to their study. The study was conducted using a historical cohort design, so causal inferences cannot be discovered from the observed positive link between childhood exercise and adulthood inhibitory control. A different explanation for this finding could be that those who had a better response inhibition happened to engage in exercise more regularly than others.
Another limitation noted for this research study was that exercise participation data was collected via a self-report questionnaire, so the accuracy of the information relied heavily on the individuals’ ability to recall information accurately. Lastly, the researchers could not decipher the extent to which the observed benefits of childhood exercise were associated with the physical activity itself, instead of other features of structured programs. This might include components such as routines and cognitive challenges.
This study offers insight that likely shows the positive link between childhood exercise and inhibition control. Childhood exercise has also been linked to many beneficial factors, such as lowering stress, improving overall physical health, and improving self-esteem. Overall, being active in childhood and adolescence is extremely beneficial, and it should be encouraged.
**The study, “Childhood exercise predicts response inhibition in later life via changes in brain connectivity and structure”, was authored by Toru Ishihara, Atsushi Miyazaki, Hiroki Tanaka, Takayuki Fujii, Muneyoshi Takahashi, Kuniyuki Nishina, Kei Kanari, Haruto Takagishi, and Tetsuya Matsuda.