The Effect Of Physical Activity And Fitness On Adverse Childhood Experiences Related Brain Alterations

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can cause morphological brain changes across the lifespan, potentially resulting in mental and physical health issues that might be remediated by a physically active lifestyle. PURPOSE: This ongoing correlational study investigates how physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) influence brain morphology in adults with a history of different types and severity of ACEs. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were preprocessed using SPM and utilizing CAT12 software volumes of regions associated with the limbic system—including anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus—were extracted. The effects of physical activity (n = 41) and CRF (n = 25) on these volumes were assessed with Macro Hayes moderation models. RESULTS: Preliminary findings indicate that while physical activity and CRF did not exhibit a moderating effect on brain morphology (p > .05), significant correlations were observed (p < .05). After adjusting for age, sex, and trauma severity, weekly vigorous physical activity were positively correlated with bilateral amygdala (respectively left r = .418, right r = .331, p < .05), and bilateral hippocampal volumes (left r = .394, right r = .371, p < .05). CRF was correlated with only left ACC volume (r = -.446, p < .05). CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings shows that physical activity and CRF impact the brain morphology in adults with a history of adversity, underscoring the need for further research to clarify the role of physical activity on this relation. Supported by: This project was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Graduiertenkolleg GRK2350/1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript