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Dementia is characterised by the gradual death of synaptic connections in the brain, which cause an onslaught of cognitive deficits including memory loss and confusion. The growing economic burden of the disease has raised worldwide concerns and prompted new research into potential cures and preventive measures. It’s already been established that exercise has a strong impact on the brain, testosterone supplements men so scientists are seeking to determine how much we need to reap the long-term benefits. One new study have have determined the “exercise sweet spot” to help reverse cognitive decline.
The new study, conducted by researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland Australia, has suggested that 35 days of exercise may be enough to bring significant improvements to cognitive performance.
For their study, the team looked at a sample of mice aged from 10 weeks to 24 months, assessing their spatial navigation and memory using the active place avoidance task (APA).
In APA rodents are placed on a rotating platform, where they are expected to use spatial cues to navigate their way around.
As expected, older rodents aged 18 and 24 months performed significantly worse than their younger counterparts over the course of the five-day test.
However, researchers later noted significant improvements in the learning abilities of mice after they exercised for 35 days.
They said: “We tested the cognitive ability of elderly mice following defined periods of exercise and found an optimal period of ‘sweet spot’ that greatly improved their spatial learning.”
Using MRI scans, researchers were later able to attribute these improvements to better connectivity in the dentate gyrus, the part of the hippocampal region of the brain.
Doctor Blackmore, lead author of the study, added: “Using MRI, we were able to study the brain following exercise, and for the first time identify the critical changes in the structure and functional circuitry of the hippocampus required for improved spatial learning.”
This information helped the team conclude that an exercise period of 35 days may not be the exercise “sweet spot” under all conditions and for all ages.
They added: “Rather, we demonstrate that a comprehensive examination of different exercise periods is crucial to understand the mechanisms underlying the cognitive improvements which follow exercise.”
The hippocampus is the part of the brain involved in learning and verbal memory and is directly impacted by exercise.
This is because workouts trigger the production of new brain cells in this region, which in turn increases its volume and boosts long-term memory.
“Hippocampal function is critical for spatial and contextual learning, and its decline with age contributes to cognitive impairment,” explained Dr. Blackmore.
“Exercise can improve hippocampal function, however, the amount of exercise and mechanisms mediating improvement remain largely unknown.”
The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making, is also targeted during exercise.
By enhancing prefrontal cortex activity, exercise can bring marked improvements to the behavioural performance of the working memory test.
The team later discovered that injecting growth hormone (GH) into sedentary mice drastically improved their learning abilities by activating neurogenesis.
“We discovered that GH stimulates the production of new neutrons in the hippocampus – the region of the brain critically important to learning and memory.”
GH levels usually deplete with age in humans, but these lowering effects can be counteracted with exercise.
Dr. Blackmore added: “We’ve been able to demonstrate that artificially raising GH in sedentary mice was also effective in improving their cognitive skills.”
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