Effects of Aerobic Exercise on the Hippocampus in Late Adulthood After one year of regular aerobic exercise—simply walking three times a week—elderly participants (purple line) increased the size of their left and right hippocampus (brain region, highlighted in yellow) by an average of 2 percent. In contrast, the stretching-and-toning group (orange line) showed about a 1.5 percent decline in the hippocampal volume, which is normal for this age group.
Source: Erickson, Kirk I.; Voss, Michelle W.; Prakash, Ruchika S.; Basak, Chandramallika; Szabo, Amanda; Chaddock, Laura; & others. (2011).
Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108, 3017–
Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108, 301