Walking may help improve brain connectivity, memory

New Delhi: Regular walks can strengthen connections in and between brain networks, according to new research, adding to growing evidence linking exercise with slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Published in the Journal for Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, the study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is a slight decline in mental abilities like memory, reasoning and judgement and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

“Historically, the brain networks we studied in this research show deterioration over time in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” said principal investigator J. Carson Smith, a kinesiology professor at University of Maryland School of Public Health.

“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,” Smith said.

The study builds upon Smith’s previous research, which showed how walking may decrease cerebral blood flow and improve brain function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.