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Associations of physical activity and screen time with white matter microstructure in children from the general
María Rodriguez-Ayllon1, Ivonne P M Derks2, Michiel A van den Dries2
1PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health through physical activity" research group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Department of Physical and Sports Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Insights
Childhood physical activity, including outdoor play and sports, is linked to better white matter brain structure. Screen time showed no association with white matter microstructure in this pediatric study.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Physical activity and sedentary behaviors impact general health.
- Limited research explores the link between childhood physical activity and brain development, with a focus on cardio-metabolic health.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for promoting healthy cognitive development in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between physical activity and screen time with white matter microstructure in children.
- To determine if specific types of physical activity (outdoor play, sport participation) relate to white matter integrity.
- To provide insights into how lifestyle factors influence pediatric brain development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 2532 children (aged ~10 years) from the Generation R Study cohort.
- Assessed physical activity and screen time via parent-reported questionnaires.
- Analyzed white matter microstructure using magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging.
Main Results:
- Total physical activity positively correlated with global fractional anisotropy and negatively with global mean diffusivity, indicating better white matter microstructure.
- Outdoor play and sport participation showed positive associations with global fractional anisotropy and inverse associations with global mean diffusivity.
- No significant associations were found between screen time and white matter microstructure in children.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity is modestly associated with white matter microstructure in children.
- Specific components of physical activity, like outdoor play and sports, are linked to enhanced white matter integrity.
- Screen time was not associated with white matter microstructure, suggesting physical activity may be a more critical factor for brain development in this regard.
Abstract:
Physical activity and sedentary behaviors have been linked to a variety of general health benefits and problems. However, few studies have examined how physical activity during childhood is related to brain development, with the majority of work to date focusing on cardio-metabolic health. This study examines the association between physical activity and screen time with white matter microstructure in the general pediatric population. In a sample of 2532 children (10.12 ± 0.58 years; 50.04% boys) from the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, we assessed physical activity and screen time using parent-reported questionnaires. Magnetic resonance imaging of white matter microstructure was conducted using diffusion tensor imaging. Total physical activity was positively associated with global fractional anisotropy (β = 0.057, 95% CI = 0.016, 0.098, p = 0.007) and negatively associated with global mean diffusivity (β = -0.079, 95% CI = -0.120, -0.038, p < 0.001), two commonly derived scalar measures of white matter microstructure. Two components of total physical activity, outdoor play and sport participation, were positively associated with global fractional anisotropy (β = 0.041, 95% CI=(0.000, 0.083), p = 0.047; β = 0.053, 95% CI=(0.010, 0.096), p = 0.015, respectively) and inversely associated with global mean diffusivity (β = -0.074, 95% CI= (-0.114, -0.033), p < 0.001; β = -0.043, 95% CI=(-0.086, 0.000), p = 0.049, respectively). No associations were observed between screen time and white matter microstructure (p > 0.05). This study provides new evidence that physical activity is modestly associated with white matter microstructure in children. In contrast, complementing other recent evidence on cognition, screen time was not associated with white matter microstructure. Causal inferences from these modest associations must be interpreted cautiously in the absence of longitudinal data. However, these data still offer a promising avenue for future work to explore to what extent physical activity may promote healthy white matter development.
