After more than a decade of research, the team found 35 days of voluntary physical exercise improved learning and memory. “We tested the cognitive ability of elderly mice following defined periods of exercise and found an optimal period or ‘sweet spot’ that greatly improved their spatial learning,” says Dan Blackmore, research fellow and animal behavior facility manager at the University of Queensland Brain Institute. The researchers also discovered how exercise improved learning. “We found that growth hormone (GH) levels peaked during this time, and we’ve been able to demonstrate that artificially raising GH in sedentary mice also was also effective in improving their cognitive skills,” Blackmore says. “We discovered GH stimulates the production of new neurons in the hippocampus—the region of the brain critically important to learning and memory. “This is an important discovery for the thousands of Australians diagnosed with dementia every year.” Dementia is the second leading cause of death of all …