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University of Queensland researchers have found an injection of a specific blood factor can replicate the benefits of exercise in the brain. They've discovered that platelets secrete a protein, exerkine CXCL4/Platelet factor 4 or PF4, that rejuvenates neurons in aged mice in a similar way to physical exercise. This protein, which is released from platelets after exercise, results in regenerative and cognitive improvements when injected into aged mice.

Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol from the Queensland Brain Institute have explored how viruses alter the function of the nervous system. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected in the brains of people with ‘long COVID’, and causes neurons to undergo a cell fusion process. The discovery offers a potential explanation for persistent neurological effects after a viral infection.