Multimedia Gallery

Connectome Circuitry!

I'm Mo Barrow with The Discovery Files, from NSF -- the U.S. National Science Foundation.

What is a "connectome?" No, it's not a futuristic sports arena in a sci-fi film. But you'll see how physical activity does play a role in shaping it.

The connectome is the architecture of the brain's neural circuitry -- our brainprint -- defining how it functions and its capacity to adapt to changes in the environment.

A team of researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School -- with support from NSF found regular physical activity has widespread, positive effects on a child's developing brain -- their own unique connectome.

The team utilized data from the National Institutes of Health Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study and analyzed neuroimaging data of some 6,000 nine and ten-year-olds.

The researchers found that physical activity -- of any kind -- was associated with more efficiently organized, flexible, and robust brain networks. These improved networks process information from the outside world more efficiently and better support performance in cognitive tasks.

Conversely, when negatively affected, they can lead to risk behaviors and impaired cognitive function that can affect someone for a lifetime. A preteen who is active for at least 60 minutes, several times a week, reaps significant cerebral benefits.

So, the next time you hear a crowd erupt in a victorious roar, it just might be your child's connectome -- celebrating the merits of simple exercise.

Discover how the U.S. National Science Foundation is advancing research at nsf.gov.

"The discovery files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.

Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.

Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.