A University of Maryland School of Public Health study shows that walking strengthens connections between the brain's networks, including one associated with Alzheimer's disease.
- Walking improved cognitive function and memory recall abilities in older adults with normal brain function and those with mild cognitive impairment.
- The study adds to the growing evidence that exercise improves brain health.
“The brain activity was stronger and more synchronized, demonstrating exercise actually can induce the brain's ability to change and adapt. These results provide even more hope that exercise may be useful as a way to prevent or help stabilize people with mild cognitive impairment and maybe, over the long term, delay their conversion to Alzheimer's dementia." —J. Carson Smith, a kinesiology professor at the School of Public Health, University of Maryland
Why it matters
Exercise may prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's dementia.
- Walking is a low-risk, inexpensive, and accessible intervention.
- Walking also improves cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health.
“Historically, the brain networks we studied in this research show deterioration over time in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. They become disconnected, and as a result, people lose their ability to think clearly and remember things. We're demonstrating that exercise training strengthens these connections." —J. Carson Smith
