Researchers in Canada monitored a group of 38 adults with vascular cognitive impairment, the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's.
They found that those who took a few brisk walks a week - amounting to three hours in total - experienced an improvement in brain function. After six months, they had improved reaction times and other signs of improved brain function. The team said their research also suggests regular brisk walks could reduce one's risk of developing VCI in the first place.
Before the exercise program began and at the end of six months, all the participants also had functional MRI brain scans and other tests that measured neural activity and cognitive ability.
People in the aerobic training group had significant improvements in their reaction times on the cognitive tests, and showed changes in their brain activity that made them resemble healthy brains more. The comparison group showed no changes.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
