Exercise Supports Brain Repair For Stroke Victims

This sounds like they are just following the ideas in Spark by John Ratey about maximum exercise causing neurogenesis.
http://www.asianscientist.com/health-medicine/exercise-supports-brain-repair-stroke-victims/
Exercising as little as once a week might improve both memory and the ability to process information quickly in stroke victims, finds a study conducted at the University of South Australia.

The study investigating the effect of regular aerobic exercise on thinking and memory skills in people following a stroke, was recently completed by Dr. Michelle McDonnell, from the Sansom Institute for Health Research.

“We were testing the notion that exercise is not only good for the body but also the brain and the results have been very promising,” she says.

“We studied the ability to do things like remembering words or adding up numbers in people who had suffered a stroke and were taking part in regular exercise. Over the five month period of the study we have found solid evidence of improvements in memory and information processing for those participants engaged in regular exercise.”

Stroke is the leading cause of morbidity in Australia, with more than 300,000 Australians living with this devastating type of brain damage. On top of problems with walking and talking, more than two-thirds of stroke sufferers also experience problems with thinking and memory skills.

Dr. McDonnell says that exercise may increase blood circulation to the brain and alter connections between nerves that are interrupted by a stroke.

“We believe exercise might actually encourage re-wiring of the brain so we’re keen to continue our research with people who have suffered a stroke,” she says.

Dr. McDonnell is leading the study to investigate the effect of exercise on the brain and is looking for adults aged between forty-five and eighty who have suffered a stroke to take part in further research.