Fitness Protects Brain Volume
Aging causes the hippocampus to shrink 1-2% per year in older adults without dementia, and this loss increases the risk of cognitive impairment. The hippocampus is our memory processor.
Researchers were interested in the impact of a 1-year program of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on hippocampus volume in older adults. The 120 sedentary participants were all between 55 and 80 years old, healthy and without dementia. Researchers assigned 60 participants to the walking exercise group and 60 to the stretching control group.
They discovered that the exercise group increased the size of their hippocampus by 2% in a year, while the control group suffered a decrease of 1.4% during that timeframe. The exercise group also had better performance on a spatial memory task. Increased hippocampal volume was directly related to improved memory function.
Takeaway: Hippocampus loss with aging is not inevitable, and it can be reversed with moderate-intensity exercise such as walking. Greater physical fitness is neuroprotective, and it is never too late to enhance cognition or augment brain volume.
Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.
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Sources
Kirk I. Erickson, et al., Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory - PubMed (nih.gov), Jan. 31, 2011.
Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory - PMC (nih.gov), Feb 15, 2011.
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