Summary: Early-life exposure to greenspace may produce measurable, beneficial structural differences in the developing brain, researchers report. Children raised in greener neighborhoods showed greater working memory and better attentional performance than peers from more urbanized environments.
Source: UCLA
Primary schoolchildren raised in homes surrounded by greater amounts of greenspace tend to exhibit larger volumes of white and grey matter in specific brain regions, and those anatomical differences are linked to better cognitive performance. This conclusion comes from a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with Hospital del Mar (Spain) and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
The study analyzed a subcohort of 253 children participating in the BREATHE project in Barcelona, Spain. Researchers estimated each child’s long-term residential exposure to greenspace using satellite-based measures that mapped greenness at the children’s addresses from birth until study participation. Structural brain anatomy was evaluated with high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cognitive function—specifically working memory and inattentiveness—was assessed through standardized computerized testing.
“This is the first study that evaluates the association between long-term exposure to greenspace and brain structure,” said Dr. Payam Dadvand, ISGlobal researcher and lead author. “Our findings suggest that exposure to natural environments during early life could lead to beneficial structural changes in the developing brain.”
Analyses showed that greater long-term exposure to neighborhood greenness was positively associated with increased white and grey matter volume in certain brain regions. Some of the regions linked to higher greenness overlapped with those associated with improved scores on the cognitive tests. In addition, peak volumes in those brain areas predicted stronger working memory performance and lower levels of inattentiveness.
Contact with nature has long been considered important for healthy child development. Earlier work within the BREATHE project, studying 2,593 children aged 7 to 10, found that over a 12-month period pupils attending schools with more surrounding outdoor greenspace experienced larger gains in working memory and a greater reduction in inattentive behaviors than children who attended schools with less greenspace.
The Biophilia hypothesis—often invoked in discussions of human interaction with nature—proposes an evolved affinity for natural environments. Green spaces may offer children opportunities for psychological restoration, imaginative play, exploration, and managed risk-taking, all of which support cognitive and social development. In addition to these direct behavioral and experiential benefits, greener neighborhoods often correspond with lower levels of air pollution and environmental noise and may expose children to a richer diversity of environmental microbes; any of these factors could plausibly contribute indirect benefits that support brain development.
“The study adds to growing evidence suggesting that early life exposure to green space and other environmental factors can exert measurable and lasting effects on health across the life course,” said Michael Jerrett, department chair and professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a co-author on the study.
Dr. Jesus Pujol, from the Radiology unit at Hospital del Mar and co-author, explained: “These results may help clarify how structural brain changes associated with greenness exposure correspond to the observed improvements in cognitive and behavioral development.”
Prof. Jordi Sunyer, an ISGlobal researcher and the study’s last author, emphasized the urban planning implications: “This research contributes to the evidence base supporting efforts to transform cities by improving access to natural environments for children and families.”
The authors note several limitations and directions for future work. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings in different populations, geographic settings and climates, to assess a broader range of cognitive and neurological outcomes, and to examine how the type, quality and accessibility of greenspace—as well as actual use patterns by children—affect any observed relationships. Investigations that integrate environmental measures with behavioral, social and biological data will strengthen understanding of causal pathways.
About this research article
Funding: The study received support from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
Source and publisher: Stephanie Cajigal – UCLA. The article was organized for public dissemination by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image source: The accompanying image is reported as public domain.
Original research: The findings appear in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Note on interpretation: This summary describes associations observed in the study and does not establish definitive causal mechanisms. The reported relationships between neighborhood greenness, brain structure and cognitive measures are based on the cohort analyzed; further research is required to confirm and extend these observations.