Chasing Life Believe Your Brain is Destined to Decline? Think Again.
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Mar 13, 2026 
Dr. Majid Fotuhi, neurologist and neuroscientist who studies neuroplasticity and authored The Invincible Brain, shares how the brain can grow at any age. He discusses rapid memory improvements, MRI-measured hippocampal growth, a 12-week lifestyle program, the five pillars of brain health, lifestyle vs. drugs, and practical daily habits like dance, exercise, sleep, and purposeful activity.
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Brain Repair Kit Remains Active With Age
- The adult brain retains a repair kit and significant neuroplasticity throughout life.
- Exercise raises BDNF, learning increases synapses, and healthy diet lowers inflammation to grow hippocampal volume observable on MRI.
12 Week Program Grew Hippocampus On MRI
- Fotuhi measured hippocampal volume before and after his 12-week program and found one to three percent increases in over half his older participants.
- He used quantitative MRI showing visible hippocampal growth correlated with objective cognitive test improvements.
Multiple Treatable Factors Shrink The Hippocampus
- Several modifiable factors shrink the hippocampus in a dose-dependent way: obesity, concussions, stress, sleep disorders, depression, and inflammation.
- Fotuhi cites studies linking cumulative presence of these factors to a 16-fold higher later Alzheimer's risk.
