Dr Sarah Valkenborghs is on a mission to find out how physical activity during pregnancy impacts the development of babies’ brains.

Dr Sarah Valkenborghs is on a mission to find out how physical activity during pregnancy impacts the development of babies’ brains.

Currently, in the midst of a study devoted to understanding the impacts of maternal exercise on the cognitive and mental health outcomes for babies, Sarah says that the preliminary evidence points firmly in one direction. “We know that women who are fitter at the beginning of their pregnancy have lower Depression Anxiety and Stress (DAS) scores. There is some evidence to suggest that a high DAS score is a risk factor for babies’ brain development but we need more information to confirm this.” “We are using data from the NEW1000 pregnancy cohort study, as well as MRI scans taken at 36 weeks gestation and a world standard neurodevelopmental assessment at 12 months of age to figure out how maternal exercise affects the development of the babies’ brain” says Sarah.

Sarah’s team are particularly interested in a part of the brain called the hippocampus as many cognitive and mental health conditions can be linked back to damage to the hippocampus from exposure to harmful stimuli during pregnancy.
Sarah’s previous research in teenagers shows that physical activity improves the health of the hippocampus and that these improvements are linked to lower stress. Now she is trying to figure out if being physically active during pregnancy can protect, or even enhance, a babies’ hippocampus during development.

“Twenty years ago, it was thought that physical activity might be harmful to pregnant women and their babies. But in the same way that pregnant women now take notice of guidelines that have been developed around alcohol, tobacco, diet and folic acid supplements because of the proven benefits for their baby, we are working to develop the same evidence to support the benefits of exercise,” says Sarah. And while exercise may not be a high priority – or even possibility – for some pregnant woman, Sarah says that every minute counts. This is because it’s very likely that exercise has a positive impact on conditions like gestational diabetes, obesity and stress – which have been shown to be harmful for baby brain development. “If physical activity matters as much as we think it does, I want to find ways to prove it and help pregnant women do it in a way that is realistic, practical, and enjoyable.”

Sarah’s Physical Activity and Brain Development study was funded by a Hunter Children’s Research Foundation grant of $30,000 issued in 2022.