Exercise During Pregnancy Gives Babies' Brains a Boost.
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Researchers from the University of Montreal have found that exercise during pregnancy can aid brain development for babies. The researchers recruited women who were in their first trimester of pregnancy and randomly assigned them to an "active" or "sedentary" group. Women in the active group were advised to get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise (using at least 55 percent of their maximal aerobic capacity) at least three times a week during their second and third trimesters, while women in the sedentary group were advised to take it easy. After the babies were born, researchers tested their brains to see if they could spot any differences between infants whose mothers exercised and infants whose mothers did not.
The researchers fitted the 8- to 12-day-old babies with specialized caps made up of 124 soft electrodes that detect electrical activity in the brain. While the babies were sleeping the scientists played a series of sounds - some new, some familiar - and measured the response of the infants' brains. The babies whose mothers had exercised had more mature brains than the babies whose mothers were sedentary.
The research was presented at the Neuroscience 2013 meeting in San Diego.