A 2022 study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia found that older adults who remain active have higher levels of brain proteins that enhance connections between neurons, which in turn improves their memory and boosts cognition. This protective impact was found in everyone, even in people showing signs of dementia.
One reason may be that physical activity promotes healthy synapses, the small pockets of space between neurons that allow them to communicate. “They are really where the magic happens when it comes to cognition,” explains study coauthor Kaitlin Casaletto, an assistant professor of neuropsychology at the University of California, San Francisco Memory and Aging Center.