A new study shows that aerobic exercise may help protect the brain in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis. Researchers at four centers analyzed MRI data from 84 patients-39 who did aerobic training and 45 who did stretching exercises, both for 12 weeks.
Key finding: The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus grew significantly more in the aerobic group (0.63% volume increase) compared to the sham group, which actually shrank slightly. The hippocampus is commonly damaged in MS and affects memory and mood.
“Aerobic exercise increased DG volume in patients with progressive MS,” the authors report.
No changes were seen in other hippocampal subfields or in the subventricular zone (SVZ). The gains also held up at six-month follow-up. The study suggests aerobic training may stimulate neurogenesis-potentially slowing cognitive decline in MS.