ReviewBrain sciences2025
Walking and Hippocampal Formation Volume Changes: A Systematic Review.
Review in Brain sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Green Environments for Sustainable Brains: Parameters Shaping Adaptive Neuroplasticity and Lifespan Neurosustainability-A Systematic Review and Future Directions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of walking or exercise for improving perceived cognitive function in adults during and after cancer therapy: a systematic review and network analysis.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Review
- Structural and Functional Brain Alterations Induced by Noise Exposure: A Comprehensive Review.NeuroSci · 2026Review
- Use of physical activity by occupational therapists and speech-language therapists in KwaZulu-Natal.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2025Article
- Grey matter atrophy patterns of mobility shared across older adults with and without multiple sclerosis.Journal of neurology · 2025Article
- The Impact of Walking on BDNF as a Biomarker of Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Architecturally Mediated Allostasis and Neurosustainability: A Proposed Theoretical Framework for the Impact of the Built Environment on Neurocognitive Health.Brain sciences · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesSustaining the human brain's hippocampus from atrophy throughout ageing is critical. Exercise is proven to be effective in promoting adaptive hippocampal plasticity, and the hippocampus has a bidirectional relationship with the physical environment. Therefore, this systematic review explores the effects of walking, a simple physical activity in the environment, on hippocampal formation volume changes for lifelong brain and cognitive health.
methodPubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for studies on humans published up to November 2022 examining hippocampal volume changes and walking. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Study quality was assessed using the PEDro scale and ROBINS-I tool. A narrative synthesis explored walking factors associated with total, subregional, and hemisphere-specific hippocampal volume changes.
resultsOverall, walking had positive effects on hippocampal volumes. Several studies found benefits of higher-intensity and greater amounts of walking for total hippocampal volume. The subiculum increased after low-intensity walking and nature exposure, while the parahippocampal gyrus benefited from vigorous intensity. The right hippocampus increased with spatial navigation during walking. No studies examined the effect of walking on the dentate gyrus.
conclusionsThis systematic review highlights walking as a multifaceted variable that can lead to manifold adaptive hippocampal volume changes. These findings support the promotion of walking as a simple, effective strategy to enhance brain health and prevent cognitive decline, suggesting the design of physical environments with natural and biophilic characteristics and layouts with greater walkability and cognitive stimulation. Future research is encouraged to explore the hippocampal subregional changes instead of focusing on total hippocampal volume, since the hippocampal formation is multicompartmental and subfields respond differently to different walking-related variables.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.