Does body shaping influence brain shape? Habitual physical activity is linked to brain morphology independent of age

Abstract

Objectives. Physical activity (PA) was found to influence human brain morphology. However, the impact of PA on brain morphology was mainly demonstrated in seniors. We investigated healthy individuals across a broad age range for the relation between habitual PA and brain morphology. Methods. Ninety-five participants (19–82 years) were assessed for self-reported habitual PA with the “Baecke habitual physical activity questionnaire”, and T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were evaluated with whole brain voxel based morphometry for gray and white matter volumes and densities. Results. Regression analyses revealed a positive relation between the extent of physical activity and gray matter volume bilaterally in the anterior hippocampal and parahippocampal gyrus independent of age and gender. Age as well as leisure and locomotion activities were linked to enhanced white matter volumes in the posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, suggesting a positive interaction especially in seniors. Conclusions. Habitual physical activity is associated with regional volumetric gray and white matter alterations. The positive relation of hippocampal volume and physical activity seems not to be restricted to seniors. Thus, habitual physical activity should be generally considered as an influencing factor in studies investigating medial temporal lobe volume and associated cognitive functions (memory), especially in psychiatric research.

Key words::

• Habitual physical activity
• voxel based morphometry (VBM)
• aging
• hippocampus
• cingulate gyrus

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (Junior Academy for Young Scholars and Scientists), Germany. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Preliminary results of this study were presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Barcelona, 2010. CD, TS, FM and TD were responsible for conception and design of the study. TD conducted the analysis of the data, CD and TD interpreted the data and drafted the manuscript. WB, NTS, IW and SM acquired the data and revised the manuscript. GE and TS approved the final version of the manuscript.

Statement of Interest

None to declare.