Hippocampus is a focus of interest become involved because it the area of the brain in dementia research in verbal memory and learning is, but it is very sensitive to the effects of aging and neurological damage.
The researchers tested the effects of various types of exercises on the hippocampal volume of 86 women who said they had mild memory problems, known as mild cognitive impairment - and a common risk factor for dementia.
All the women were aged between 70 and 80 years old and self-employed lived at home.
As many of them were allocated equal either twice per hour long sessions of aerobic exercise (brisk walk); or strength training, such as lunges, squats and weights; or balance and muscle toning exercises for a period of six months.
The size of their hippocampus was the beginning and end of the period of six months to determine, by means of MRI scans, verbal memory and learn that capacity was assessed before and after using a validated test (RAVLT).
Only 29 of the women had before and after the MRI images, but the results showed that the overall volume of the hippocampus in the group, which completed the full six months of aerobic training is significantly greater than that of those who take the course, balance and muscle toning exercises lasted.
No such difference in hippocampal volume on strength training when compared with the balance and muscle, muscle in those seen group.
But despite an earlier finding in the same sample of women improves, that aerobic exercise was verbal memory, there some evidence that an increase of in hippocampal volume was associated with poorer verbal memory.
Say this suggests that the relationship between brain volume and cognitive performance is complex and requires further research, the authors.
But the increased risk for dementia, at the very least, aerobic exercise seems slow the shrinkage of the hippocampus and the volume in a group of women, they say.
And they recommend regular aerobic exercise to avoid mild cognitive decline, what is particularly important, given the mounting evidence indicating that regular exercise good for cognitive function and overall condition of the brain and the rising toll of dementia is.
Worldwide, afflicted, the new case of dementia every four seconds, with the number of those diagnosed will rise to set more than 115 million in 2050, they point out.