Active Body, Active Mind – Effects On Brain Development

Tommy Wood, BA (Cantab), BM BCh (Oxon), PhD

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Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience

University of Washington, Seattle, USA

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Research Team Lead

Food for the Brain

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My work

Overview

• A way to think about what the brain needs

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• The importance of stimulating the brain during development
• Primary drivers of adaptation

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• The importance of rest and recovery
• Time for that adaptation to occur

The brain takes ~30 years to develop

• The brain is dynamic and responsive across the entire lifespan
• Possible to intervene regardless of age

Brouwer et al. Nature Neuroscience 2022

The human brain is (slowly) shaped by the environment

Lindhout et al., Nature 2024

The human brain is (slowly) shaped by the environment

• Most recently evolved brain structures mature the slowest
• Responsible for the most complex cognitive functions

Hill et al., PNAS 2010

Cognitive function is driven by environment

• 697 extremely preterm infants assessed at 2-years old

Wood, Juul et al., eClinicalMedicine 2023

Home-ics and brain development

Christensen et al., Pediatric Research 2024

A system for brain health

A simplified model – strength as an example

Stimulus

• Train
• Lift Weights

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

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Supply

• Adequate Protein/Calories
• Micronutrients

Function

• Strength

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Structure

• Muscle Mass

Support/Recovery

• Sleep
• Rest

Demand-function coupling in the brain

• The function of a tissue is determined by the stimulus
• Same as with exercise and fitness/strength
• Similar across all stages of life

Turknett and Wood, Cells 2022

Your brain is just like your muscles

• Multiple interacting factors for brain development

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• Stimulus
• Physical activity, cognitive, and social activity

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• Supply
• Vascular health and nutrient status

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• Support
• Sleep, stress, avoiding toxic exposures

My model of brain function

Turknett and Wood, Cells 2022

Credit: Alex Stewart, Derek & Eric Design Agency

Lifting weights for your brain

• Brain function is driven by learning new things
• Adapting to the environment

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• Complex skill learning improves cognitive function in kids
• Languages
• Music
• Unstructured play
• Sports
• Video games

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Education shows the importance of stimulus

• Education and the peak and age of cognitive function

Guerra-Carrillo et al., PLoS One 2017

Education

• Greater cognitive stimulus for longer during childhood
• Higher peak of cognitive function
• Lasts your entire lifetime

Lövdén et al., Psych Sci Pub Int 2020

Music and the developing brain

• Randomized studies show music lessons improve:
• Working memory
• Decision making
• Cognitive flexibility

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• Benefits all age groups
• 3 year-olds up to young teens
• May be better started earlier
• Higher benefit in those who are less socioeconomically advantaged

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Román-Caballero et al., Education Research Review 2022; Le et al., Frontiers in Psychology 2025

Music in primary school children

• One hundred and forty-seven primary school children
• Four groups over 2.5 years
• Control, art, and two music groups
• 1–2 h lessons weekly. Collective music making, singing and improvising.

Jaschke et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience 2018

Languages and brain development

• Bilinguals often outperform monolinguals in executive function
• Better inhibitory control
• Split-second decision making
• Due to the brain having to constantly control language output

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• Recent report by the British Academy/UCL suggests foreign language learning can improve creativity

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• Foreign language learning in childhood is associated with improved maths skills

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Stocco et al. International Journal of Bilingualism 2012; Woll and Wei British Academy 2019; Nucett et al., Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 2024

Physical activity

• Multiple studies show that physical activity improves:
• Focus/attention
• Executive function
• Academic performance

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• Physical fitness and strength are associated with better academic performance

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• Similar benefits seen in children with neurodevelopmental disorders
• Dose-dependent effects

Educating the Student Body 2013; Robinson et al, Sports Med 2023; James et al., Children 2023; Liu et al., Preventive Medicine 2025

Exercise in neurodevelopmental disorders

• Meta-analysis of 35 studies
• Beneficial interventions included
• Swimming
• Racquet and ball sports (table tennis, football)
• Running
• Martial arts

Liu et al., Preventive Medicine 2025

Exercise and focus/memory

• 9-10 year-old children
• Running vs complex skills
• 45 minutes 3x per week for 10 weeks
• Playful balance, coordination, ball games, skipping ropes etc

Koutsandréou et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016

Brain-boosting effect of coordinative exercise

• 12 males in their 20’s-30’s, cross-over study
• 400m track with/without obstacles for 60 min
• Pace constant to maintain similar exertion
• Both types increased BDNF
• Obstacles > Normal running

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Bahramnejad et al. IJES 2023

The importance of play and risk

• Increasing mental health problems in children
• Inability to deal with stressful situations
• Decreased outdoor/adventurous play and increased indoor time

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• Outdoor/adventurous play associated with
• Less anxiety and fear
• Better mental health during Covid-19 lockdown

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• Increased ”risky” play improves a kid’s ability to assess risk

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• Restrictive parenting increases risk-seeking behavior later

Dodd et al. Child Psych Hum Dev 2022; Loebach et al., J Outdoor Envir Educ 2023; Hansen and Breivik, Personality and Individual Differences 2001

Risk ≠ Danger

• Beneficial risky play
• Play with heights or high speed (climbing, running, jumping)
• Rough‐and‐tumble play
• Risk of getting lost (within reason)

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• Principles of beneficial risky play
• Attempting things above current skill level
• Requires concentration and determination
• Requires control and thought to prevent injury
• Failure comes with a risk of minor injury

Are video games good for your brain??

• Large US study of 2,217 9-10 year-old children
• Gamers (~3h per day) vs non-gamers (0h per day)
• Gamers had slightly better reaction times and decision making

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• Several studies in adults show benefit of computer games
• Complex movement/puzzle solving in new environments
• Usually Super Mario

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Charaani et al. JAMA Network Open 2022; Clemson and Stark, J Neurosci 2105

Video games in context

• Video games can be a beneficial stimulus for the brain

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• As long as it doesn’t prevent you doing other important things:
• Eating a nutritious diet
• Sleep
• Learning
• Time outside
• Doing physical activity/sports
• Replacing physical activity with screen time increases depression risk
• Spending time with real people

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The importance of recovery

• Recovery and sleep is how you get stronger and smarter

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• Sleep is when:
• You save memories
• The brain makes new connections
• Your brain cleans itself

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• Sleep deprivation results in:
• Lower cognitive function
• Decreased empathy
• More negative emotional responses
• Impaired decision making

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Sleep and academic performance

• Seattle Sleepmore study
• All schools started an hour later
• Kids slept 34 minutes longer on average
• 4.5% Higher grades
• Higher attendance and more graduates

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• Two important factors for sleep in children/teens
• Caffeine
• Screen time
• Both also relevant to adults(!)

Caffeine

• Children who consume caffeine sleep less well
• Study of 10-16 year-olds
• Caffeine consumers:
• Fall asleep ~1 hour later
• Spend an hour less in bed
• Get less deep sleep

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• Afternoon caffeine impairs sleep
• Last strong coffee ~12h before bed
• Last Coca-cola ~8-9h before bed
• Small amounts of caffeine in tea is OK

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Aepli et al. Brain Scinces 2015; Gardiner et ali., Sleep Medicine Reviews 2023

Screens

• Sleep is initiated by the hormone melatonin
• Starts to increase ~2h before sleep

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• Melatonin production is decreased by bright light

Klerman et al. Clin Transl Med 2022

Melatonin in children

• Children are much more susceptible to light than adults
• 9-10 years-old children have about twice the melatonin suppression
• Minimise bright overhead lights in the evening
• Stop screens at least 1-2h before you want to fall asleep

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Higuchi et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014

Social media – the opposite of rest

• Increasing social media use is associated with higher depression
• Greater risk in girls
• Many schools banning smartphones

Social Median and Mental Health: Haidt, Lausch and Twenge

Social media can drive stress

• We’ve evolved to be social animals

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• Loneliness causes stress/inflammation
• Survival response

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• Similar response to “social stress”
• Being left out
• Being bullied
• Seeing people who are “better” than you

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Slavich et al., Lifestyle Medicine 2022

Active bodies and minds

• Function of the brain is driven by learning and challenge

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• Critical to provide children with a variety of demanding stimuli
• Music
• Languages
• Physical activity (especially with a coordinative component)
• Social interaction
• Play and risk taking
• The developing brain will go looking for limits if they are denied

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• Support stimulus with adequate rest and recovery

Active Body, Active Mind – Effects On Brain Development

Tommy Wood, BA (Cantab), BM BCh (Oxon), PhD

​

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience

University of Washington, Seattle, USA

​

Research Team Lead

Food for the Brain

​