← All stories
Health, Longevity & Biohacking

Walking three times weekly increases brain volume and reverses age-related shrinkage

Huberman Lab · How to Improve Your Memory & Cognitive Function at Any Age | Dr. Alan Castel · July 13, 2026
Walking three times weekly increases brain volume and reverses age-related shrinkage
Huberman Lab
Huberman Lab
How to Improve Your Memory & Cognitive Function at Any Age | Dr. Alan Castel
"In the walking group the group that was randomly assigned to walk three four times a week for 40 minutes compared to a stretching group who's still engaging in exercise but not cardiovascular exercise. The walking group their you know hippocamp is actually increased in volume by 1%. So you're changing the the brain, but you're also changing the behavior. Their memory was much better a year later."
Randomized controlled research demonstrates that cardiovascular exercise through walking reverses hippocampal atrophy that typically occurs at 1-2% per year after age 50. The hippocampus, critical for memory formation, actually grew in walkers while declining in the stretching control group, with corresponding improvements in memory performance.
From this episode
Huberman Lab
Huberman Lab

How to Improve Your Memory & Cognitive Function at Any Age | Dr. Alan Castel

August 3, 2026 · 2h 28m · 8 Egleze moments
Read episode summary and key points →

More moments from this episode

PsychologyMemory expert reveals how errorful learning enhances retention better than repetitionPsychologyUCLA psychologist finds midlife brings lowest happiness levels, not old agePsychologyOlder adults show greater resilience than youth during pandemic, defying expectationsPsychologyCuriosity about specific information increases with age despite overall decline in trait
More stories More from Huberman Lab