Philadelphia, June 3, 2025 – Groundbreaking new research reveals a compelling link between exposure to greenspace and significant changes in brain structure during the critical period of early adolescence. This expansive study, published in the prestigious journal Biological Psychiatry, elucidates how interaction with natural environments profoundly influences structural neurodevelopment, which in turn is correlated with enhanced academic performance and improved mental health outcomes. The findings herald a pivotal shift in our understanding of environmental influences on the adolescent brain and underscore the urgent need to incorporate natural settings within urban and educational contexts.
For decades, scientists have acknowledged the broad benefits of green spaces on mental well-being and cognitive function. Yet, despite accumulating epidemiological and psychological data, the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning these benefits remained largely obscure. This landmark investigation bridges that gap by quantifying associations between greenspace exposure and longitudinal trajectories of brain development across multiple cortical and subcortical regions. The research offers, for the first time, an integrative model that connects environmental exposure to measurable anatomical brain changes, which then mediate positive psychological and academic outcomes.
Dr. John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry, emphasizes the broader implications of this work. “Our focus has often been on how adverse environmental conditions affect brain health. This study redirects attention to the salutary influences of positive environments, such as greenspaces, and how they contribute to human resilience and thriving,” he notes. This perspective encourages a paradigmatic shift in neuroscience, one that values the enhancement of beneficial environmental inputs alongside the mitigation of harmful ones.
The study harnessed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort, a nation-wide observational study involving over 7,000 ethnically diverse participants aged 9 to 10 at baseline, monitored across 21 sites in the United States. Utilizing sophisticated neuroimaging techniques—primarily structural MRI analyses—the researchers mapped cortical thickness, surface area, and volumetric changes longitudinally over a two-year interval, coinciding with a quintessential phase of neurodevelopment characterized by dynamic reorganization and maturation of cortical and subcortical structures.
Central to the analysis were linear mixed-effects models that evaluated associations between greenspace exposure measured at age 9-10 and neuroanatomical indices at follow-up and across developmental trajectories. The models accounted for potential confounding variables such as socioeconomic status, household disadvantage, and neighborhood deprivation, isolating the unique contribution of greenspace exposure. These rigorous statistical controls bolster the validity of the observed associations and underscore the independent role of natural environment interaction.
Results indicated that adolescents exposed to higher levels of greenspace exhibited marked neurodevelopmental differences, including increased total cortical surface area and volume. Regionally, greater cortical thickness was detected in temporal regions and the insula—areas implicated in sensory integration, emotional processing, and higher-order cognitive functions—while reduced thickness appeared in prefrontal regions such as the caudal middle frontal and superior frontal gyri, suggesting nuanced region-specific maturational patterns. Additionally, striatal structures involved in reward processing, including the caudate nucleus, putamen, and nucleus accumbens, displayed volume increases associated with greenspace exposure, pointing toward global effects on circuitry regulating motivation and affect.
Longitudinal analyses revealed that greater greenspace exposure was linked with amplified growth in total cortical surface area over time and a concomitant deceleration in cortical thinning, a hallmark of typical adolescent brain development attributed to synaptic pruning and maturation. Interestingly, total cortical volume growth was reduced, possibly reflecting a complex interplay of cortical reorganization dynamics influenced by environmental experiences. This intricate pattern signals that greenspace may modulate multiple neurodevelopmental processes simultaneously, fostering brain architectures conducive to optimal cognitive and emotional functioning.
Early adolescence represents a window of heightened neuroplasticity and sensitivity to environmental stimuli. As urbanization continues unabated—with projections indicating that by 2050, nearly 68% of the global population will reside in cities—the opportunity for meaningful interaction with natural landscapes diminishes. This encroaching “green deficit” poses a significant challenge for developmental neuroscience and public health, making the findings of this study particularly salient. They advocate for preserving and expanding access to urban green spaces to support healthy brain maturation and mental well-being during this vulnerable formative period.
Co-lead investigator Dr. Qingyang Li from King’s College London articulates the significance of these findings: “Our data compellingly demonstrate that greenspace exposure facilitates structural brain growth both at whole-brain and regional scales, which in turn mediates improvements in academic achievement and mental health independent of social disadvantage. This underscores the fundamental role of natural environments in cognitive and emotional development.”
Similarly, co-lead investigator Dr. Divyangana Rakesh highlights the public health implications: “The rising prevalence of mental health issues among children and adolescents necessitates novel preventive strategies. Urban planning that prioritizes green infrastructure can be a pivotal component of a comprehensive approach to mitigating these challenges and fostering resilience in youth.”
The study’s integrative approach—linking objective environmental metrics, advanced neuroimaging, and behavioral outcomes—sets a new standard for interdisciplinary research at the nexus of urban health, developmental neuroscience, and educational policy. The work invites further exploration into the dose-response relationships of nature exposure, potential critical periods of sensitivity, and underlying biological pathways, including molecular and network-level brain dynamics.
From a technical perspective, the employment of longitudinal structural MRI in a large, diverse sample confers extraordinary power and generalizability to these findings. Measures such as cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and volumetric subcortical data provide multidimensional indices of brain development, each reflecting distinct neural substrates. The analytical framework incorporating mixed-effects modeling adeptly handles within-subject variability and accounts for site and demographic heterogeneity, enhancing the robustness of conclusions.
The convergence of environmental neuroscience and urban developmental policy illuminated by this research underscores a pressing need for multidimensional interventions. Schools, urban planners, and policymakers are called to integrate greenery not as an aesthetic luxury but as an essential substrate for cognitive and mental health. Such integration could range from schoolyard greening and urban parks to biophilic architectural designs that inoculate against the cognitive and emotional deficits linked to urban living.
In summation, this study constitutes a landmark in highlighting how contact with nature tangibly shapes adolescent neurodevelopment, setting trajectories that extend into academic success and psychological well-being. The growing body of evidence mandates a reevaluation of how cities are designed and how education environments are structured, pointing decisively toward a greener, healthier future generation.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Longitudinal Associations Between Greenspace Exposure, Structural Brain Development, and Mental Health and Academic Performance During Early Adolescence
News Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Web References:
References:
Li et al., (2025). Longitudinal Associations Between Greenspace Exposure, Structural Brain Development, and Mental Health and Academic Performance During Early Adolescence. Biological Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.03.026
Image Credits: Biological Psychiatry / Li et al.
Keywords: greenspace exposure, adolescent brain development, cortical thickness, cortical surface area, neuroimaging, mental health, academic performance, urbanization, structural MRI, neuroplasticity, environmental neuroscience, developmental trajectories
