According to a new study, exercise can slow down neurocognitive decay in adults as they age. The Wall Street Journal reports on the study showing that exercise can boost memory and the ability for the elderly to reverse normal brain shrinkage:
As people age, the hippocampus, the brain's memory center, loses 1% to 2% of its volume annually, affecting memory and possibly increasing the risk for dementia. A growing body of evidence has pointed to aerobic exercise as a low-cost hedge against neurocognitive decline.
The study showed that simply walking daily has the ability to maintain and even reverse the effects of normal aging on the brain.
Photo, (flickr), Creative Commons 2.0, by sanchom.