Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a link between seniors’ physical activity and the volume of grey matter in their brain.
Dr. Kirk Erickson and his colleagues tracked the pattern of physical and cognitive activity of 300 of adults in 1989. Participants had an average age of 78, and about two thirds were women.
Nine years later, in comparing MRI scans and the distances walked by each participant, they discovered that those who walked the most showed the least loss of grey matter.
Researchers concluded that those who walked six to nine miles per week (10-15 kilometres), were protected from loss of brain cells—a symptom associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Specifically, the more often a person walks, the less likely they would be affected by disturbances in the hippocampus, part of the cerebrum which is located in the temporal lobe. This section plays a major role in memory and brain space navigation.