Having the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the midst of nature, surrounded by greenery, is not only good for the body but modifies our own brain. This is revealed by a new study according to which both white matter and gray matter change in relation to exposure to green throughout life
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Having the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the midst of nature, surrounded by greenery, is not only good for the body, but changes our own brain. This is revealed by a new study according to which both white matter and gray matter change in relation to exposure to green throughout life.
There are numerous researches that have amply demonstrated the psycho-physical benefits of nature on our health but this has taken into consideration a particular aspect. The researchers examined how theexposure of a child broke may affect the development of his brain structure. In fact, he is the first to have mapped the changes in the brain of those who live in close contact with nature.
The research reported volume changes in both gray and white matter in association with residing in a green area and having done so for life. Areas of the brain associated with green exposure were also associated with cognitive function. Gray matter is associated with thinking and processing higher level concepts, while white matter controls the autonomic nervous system and transmits information from the body to the gray matter.
The study was led by Payam Dadvand, professor of epidemiology at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Dadvand used a subgroup of 253 schoolchildren aged 7 to 9 from the BREATHE project. To quantify permanent exposure to greenery, the researchers used a measure known as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which was based on the density of vegetation in an area of 100 meters around each child's residence, since birth. .
To quantify the differences in brain volume for areas of white and gray matter, the results of an MRI performed on children with varying degrees of green exposure were compared.
Meanwhile, the researchers identified regions of the brain with a certain volume, in turn associated with the best scores on computer tests to assess cognitive function.
“We quantified the amount of green around each child's residential address from birth to the time we did the brain imaging, and we saw that a relatively greater amount of green is associated with an increase in volume in some parts of the brain. . These increases in volume were associated with improved cognitive function, ascertained through computerized cognitive tests and over time, overlapping, in part, with areas of the brain associated with cognitive functions ”explains prof. Dadvand.
It is an innovative study. According to Peter James, of the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, while the mechanisms are still unclear, research has shown that "living close to nature can contribute to brain development" even with limitations. For example, the study does not provide information on the type of species or whether the vegetation is present in a park or whether it is spontaneous.
There is no doubt that the presence of green is beneficial, as the author of the study does not fail to underline:
"A physical and mental connection with nature is quite important in the context of our world of urbanization, with more and more children living in urban areas, where they often have limited access to green spaces and, at the same time, are more exposed to the air pollution and noise, factors that could have detrimental effects on their brain development ".
The research was published on Environmental Health Perspectives.
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Francesca Mancuso
