Aug 19, 2014 01:06 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Physical fitness may improve areas of the brain important for learning and memory in children, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that aerobically fit children have more fibrous and compact white-matter tracts in the brain than their peers who are less fit. More compact white matter is associated with faster and more efficient nerve activity.

"Our work suggests that aerobically fit and physically fit children have improved brain health and superior cognitive [thinking] skills than their less-fit peers," Laura Chaddock-Heyman, study author and a postdoctoral researcher with the department of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told HealthDay. "Hopefully, these findings will reinforce the importance of aerobic fitness during development and lead to additional physical activity opportunities in and out of the school environment."

For the study, the research team used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to look at five white-matter tracts in the brains of the 24 participants. This method analyzes water diffusion into tissues. For white matter, less water diffusion means the tissue is more fibrous and compact, both desirable traits.

The analysis revealed significant fitness-related differences in the integrity of several white-matter tracts in the brain: the corpus callosum, which connects the brain's left and right hemispheres; the superior longitudinal fasciculus, a pair of structures that connect the frontal and parietal lobes; and the superior corona radiata, which connect the cerebral cortex to the brain stem.

"All of these tracts have been found to play a role in attention and memory," Chaddock-Heyman said.

The team did not test for cognitive differences in the children in this study, but previous work has demonstrated a link between improved aerobic fitness and gains in cognitive function on specific tasks and in academic settings.

The findings were recently published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

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