A new study has linked walking to an improvement in the area of the brain that controls memory, The New York Times reported.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study Jan. 31 that suggests the brain’s hippocampus may expand in healthy adults who regularly walk. The hippocampus typically begins to decline around 55 or 60, the Times said.

The Jan. 31 report assigned 120 men and women around the average age of 65 to two exercise groups, the Times said. One group walked around a track three times a week for a year, while the other did less aerobic exercises. The group that walked increased the volume of their hippocampus by an average of 2 percent, while the second group saw an average decline of 1.4 percent.

Juliana Keeping is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter