Aerobic Exercise and Women at Risk for Dementia: Small study suggests regular walking increases hippocampus area of brain According to new research conducted in the physical therapy department at the University of British Columbia, regular aerobic workouts can increase the size of the hippocampus (the area of the brain associated with memory) and slow the progression of dementia in older women. Researchers followed 86 women aged 70 to 80 with mild cognitive impairments. As part of the study, participants participated in twice weekly hour-long sessions of either aerobic activity or resistance training (muscle toning exercises) for six months. At the end of the study period, researchers evaluated changes in the brain and cognitive changes. Results revealed that those who did the aerobic activity (and not the weight training exercise) had a significant enlargement of the hippocampus. The results did not show the same effect on cognitive functioning, however, results also showed that the increased hippocampus size was linked to poorer verbal memory. The authors concluded that the aerobic exercise does help to slow the shrinkage of the hippocampus, which may help delay the progression of dementia for those at risk, but also that the relationship between brain volume and cognition is complex. AUTHOR: Robert Preidt SOURCE: WebMD, April 9th 2014 webmd/fitness-exercise/news/20140409/aerobic-exercise-may-help-older-women-at-risk-for-dementia
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 14:00:00 +0000
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