Observations: Aerobic exercise bulks up hippocampus, improving memory in older adults: “Many studies have linked exercise with improved brain health later in life. Now a new controlled trial reveals more about how aerobic activity might be helping to bolster the brain by beefing up the hippocampus.”
(Via Scientific America.)
What Does This Mean?
The hippocampus belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in memory and spatial navigation. The hippocampus contains high levels of glucocorticoid receptors, which make it more vulnerable to stress than most other brain areas.
Exercise supports our hippocampus (and memory) in a couple of important ways:
- Exercise buffers the chronic stress response of glucocorticoids responsible for zapping our hippocampus and worsening our memory. Exercise protects our memory from stress.
- Exercise induces growth factors that promote new brain tissue.
Go exercise! Make some of it aerobic!
