A new study has identified a specific exercise regime that could help reverse the effects of dementia.
Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute, at the University of Queensland in Australia, claim that 35 days of exercise may be enough to bring in significant improvements to cognitive performance.
It has been established previously that exercise has a strong impact on the brain, so scientists looked at a sample of mice aged between 10 weeks and 24 months, assessing their spatial navigation and memory using the active place avoidance task (APA).
Hull Live reports that as expected, older rodents aged between 18 and 24 months performed worse than their younger counterparts over the course of the five-day test.
However, researchers noted significant improvements in the learning abilities of mice after they exercised for a total of 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, said: “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.”
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