In recent years, many neuroscientific studies have examined the relationship between sport and cognitive abilities in different populations, from the youngest to the oldest.
Sport and physical activity: what are the differences?
Physical activity refers to all body movements that increase energy expenditure. It can be practised on a daily basis, freely, without performance objectives. Walking, dancing, cycling for mobility, gardening or climbing stairs are simple examples of physical activity that are essential for health and well-being.
Sport, on the other hand, is a structured physical activity, defined by precise rules, often practised in clubs or in a framed setting. It aims at progression, performance, and can include a competitive dimension. Football, swimming, judo or basketball are sports.
Thus, all sport is a physical activity, but not all physical activity is a sport.
What are the benefits of being physically active?
Learning a motor activity such as playing the piano or hitting a golf ball involves the plasticity of the brain and leads to structural and functional changes.
It has been shown that in the brain areas dedicated to the parts of the body involved in essential gestures such as the hands for a pianist, the arms for a golfer or the legs for a footballer:
- A thickening of the myelin sheath, the role of which is to drive the nerve influx more efficiently along the axon. This thickening significantly increases the rate of electrical signal propagation in the neuron.
- An increase in the number of synapses by which a neuron can transmit the signal to more neighbouring neurons, thereby increasing the diffusion of nerve influx between brain regions,
- Optimization of the connection between brain regions activated during movement with the establishment of networks of preferential neurons that allow to request only the muscles indispensable for movement.
When the gesture is learned, the regular practice of the activity leads to motor automatisms resulting in a decrease in the attention required to execute the movement.
The brain plasticity induced by physical activity depends on the duration and frequency of practice. These variables constitute a value that could be called “a dose,” which, as in the case of a drug, would have beneficial effects depending on the person’s baseline condition. It has been shown that in sedentary people, a small dose of regular physical activity influenced cognitive abilities, whereas the dose needed to observe an effect should be greater in trained subjects.
On the other hand, the nature of physical activity is important in achieving beneficial effects on brain abilities such as learning, attention or memory. Finally, we must distinguish between the transient effects of intense exercise and the more lasting effects of less intense but regular activity.
A recent analysis of several scientific articles comparing the effect of different types of physical activity in children and adolescents on their cognitive abilities shows that team activities are optimal for learning, concentration, precision of actions and reduced reaction time. This physical activity requires complex movements, continuous integration of visual information such as other players’ positions and rapid decision-making. Dance also promotes brain plasticity through complex choreographic and rhythmic elements that stimulate areas of the brain crucial for memory and control.
Activities such as running or walking, while important in preventing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, appear to have less effect on brain capacity.
From sport to motor rehabilitation
In aging, cognitive performance declines in particular due to decreased brain volume and loss of connectivity. As mentioned above, physical activity causes the thickening of the myelin sheath, increases the number of synapses between neurons and strengthens functional connections between brain areas in the same way as creative leisure, reading, gardening or social engagement.
As with younger children, activities that require the coordination of several members or the processing of environmental information are the most beneficial.
Although the effect of physical activity on the capacity of the aging brain appears to be beneficial, the mechanisms underlying the preservation or restoration of brain capacity remain poorly understood.
