Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Enhancing the Offspring Health in Rats with Maternal Exercise During Pregnancy
05:17

Author Spotlight: Enhancing the Offspring Health in Rats with Maternal Exercise During Pregnancy

Published on: April 5, 2024

1.5K

Physical activity during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment and IQ in the first 4 years of life

Marlos R Domingues1, Alicia Matijasevich2, Aluísio J D Barros3

  • 1Sports Department, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Plos One
|October 29, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Maternal physical activity during pregnancy is linked to better cognitive development in children. Active mothers

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal physical activity during pregnancy is a modifiable factor with potential implications for offspring neurodevelopment.
  • Understanding the relationship between maternal exercise and child cognitive outcomes is crucial for public health recommendations.
  • Existing research suggests a link, but further investigation is needed to clarify the extent and timing of these effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal physical activity during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
  • To evaluate the impact of maternal exercise on children's cognitive abilities, specifically IQ and overall development.
  • To determine if maternal physical activity influences neurodevelopment from infancy through early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A birth cohort study followed children from birth to 48 months of age.
  • Maternal physical activity was assessed retrospectively, and neurodevelopment was evaluated using the Battelle's Development Inventory and IQ using the Weschler's Intelligence Scale.
  • Statistical analyses controlled for potential confounding factors including socioeconomic status, maternal characteristics, and neonatal factors.

Main Results:

  • Children born to mothers who were physically active during pregnancy showed higher Battelle's scores at 12 and 24 months.
  • A crude analysis indicated a slight increase in IQ at 48 months among children of active mothers.
  • After adjusting for confounders, a positive association was observed between maternal physical activity and neurodevelopment at 12 months, but not at 48 months.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal physical activity during pregnancy does not appear to negatively impact children's neurodevelopment.
  • Offspring of physically active mothers demonstrated enhanced cognitive performance at 12 months of age.
  • The findings suggest a potential benefit of maternal exercise on early childhood neurodevelopment, particularly in the first year of life.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable09:24

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable

Published on: May 17, 2024

2.8K
Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development05:44

Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development

Published on: May 17, 2024

1.2K

Related Concept Videos

Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
1.2K
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
716
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
868
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
1.4K
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
4.1K
Development of Immunocompetence01:22

Development of Immunocompetence

The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
1.2K