Time in nature changes kids' brains on a structural level, imaging data show
Frequent exposure to nature during adolescence alters the brain on a structural level, leading to improvements in both mental health and academic performance.
Though decades of research have supplied ample evidence to support the benefits of being outside, there has been a lack of objective data to explain how exposure to green space impacts wellbeing. New data published in Biological Psychiatry provide insight into the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the connection between time spent in nature and mental health.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 7,000 individuals participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which includes 21 sites across the United States. Focusing on green space exposure during ages 9 and 10, the team used MRI scans to evaluate the effects of nature on children’s brain structure and function, mental health and academic performance two years later.
The scans revealed numerous differences in the brains of children who frequently spent time in green spaces compared to those who did not. On a structural level, the team observed greater total surface area and cortical volume, greater cortical thickness in temporal regions and the insula, lower thickness in the caudal middle frontal and superior frontal gyri. Green space exposure also was associated with greater surface area across several brain regions, and greater volume of the caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens.
What’s more, these structural alterations correlated with enhanced neurodevelopment, improved measures of mental health and academic aptitude as well.
"Children’s and adolescents’ mental health issues have become a global concern. At the same time, urbanization is rapidly changing the environment and often reducing access to green spaces,” co-lead investigator Divyangana Rakesh, PhD, from the neuroimaging department at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry & Neuroscience at King’s College London, said of the findings. “This study offers insights for policymakers on how urban planning can help address the growing mental health challenges faced by children and highlights the importance of integrating green spaces into school settings and urban environments."
Learn more about the team’s results here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.