# A Way to Ease Childhood Psychological Trauma Without Visiting a Doctor Has Been Named

Physical activity can mitigate the consequences of childhood psychological trauma by altering connections between key brain centers responsible for emotions and stress. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

The research concerns people who experienced violence, emotional neglect, or other traumatic events during childhood. Such experiences often lead to long-term changes in brain function and increase the risk of mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder.

The researchers analyzed data from 75 adults who had experienced traumatic events before the age of 18. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, they studied how brain regions involved in emotion regulation and stress responses interact: the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex.

The results showed that the level of physical activity significantly affects the connections between these structures. In people with low physical activity, childhood trauma was associated with weakened neural connections between the brain's emotional centers. However, in those who exercised regularly, the opposite pattern was observed — the connections between brain regions became stronger.

Particularly pronounced changes were noted in the interaction between the anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala — structures that play a key role in emotional control and stress response. Physical activity essentially changed the nature of the relationship between traumatic experience and the functioning of these neural networks.

"The consequences of psychological trauma are not necessarily permanent. Regular physical exercise can rewire the brain's neural connections and increase a person's resilience to stress. The most pronounced effect was observed in people who engaged in physical activity for 150 to 390 minutes per week," the scientists concluded.