The Crece Project is an initiative of El Diario Montañés where an article has been published by Professor Andrea Corrales, a Doctor in Molecular Biology, a sports psychologist and a professor in Psychology, Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the European University of the Atlantic.
We are all aware of the benefits that practicing a sport has on cardiovascular health, diabetes or obesity. However, its effects on the brain are not so well known and it was not until just over ten years ago that the impact of physical exercise on the brain began to be studied.
In the article published in the Crece Project by the El Diario Montañés, Corrales explains that there are studies carried out on both humans and animals that suggest that physical activity facilitates the neuroplasticity of certain areas in the brain, thus enabling it to respond to new demands with behavioral adaptations.
In this sense, the article mentions what the “neurotrophic hypothesis” is based on. This hypothesis maintains that, by practicing sports, there is an increase in the release of the neurotrophic factor derived from the brain. This is a substance that triggers changes at the structural and functional level, thus, causing improvements at a cognitive level.
On the other hand, there is evidence affirming that cardiovascular exercise also benefits the executive function. That is to say, the one related to the capacity for planning and organization.
Lastly, several studies point out the positive effects that the implementation of a physical exercise program in educational centers provides, favoring levels of comprehension, reading fluency and problem-solving. “Instilling the practice of physical exercise in children and adolescents – says Corrales – is necessary for society to ensure that our youth develop physically and psychologically healthy”.
You may read the complete article here https://proyectocrece.eldiariomontanes.es/ejercicio-fisico-y-rendimiento-academico