Preteen Brains Benefit from Regular Physical Activity

Brain imaging of nearly 6,000 primary school-aged children showed an association between regular physical activity and more organized, robust, and flexible brain networks. Lead researcher Dr. Caterina Stamoulis adds, “It didn’t matter what kind of physical activity children were involved in… It only mattered that they were active… In preteens, a number of brain functions are still developing, and they can be altered by a number of risk factors. Our results suggest that physical activity has a positive protective effect across brain regions.” Cerebral Cortex, May 2021