WASHINGTON: Mental and physical exercise can help improve behavioural deficits in schizophrenia and repair damaged chemical transmitter pathways in the brain, a new study by researchers in Australia has shown.

The study, carried it out on a mouse model, was conducted by researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute in collaboration with a team from Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

As a part of their study researchers led by Dr Anthony Hannan, Dr Caitlin McOmish, and Emma Burrows characterised a genetically altered mouse and discovered that it had schizophrenia-like behaviours, including learning and memory problems, the inability to process complex information, and abnormal responses to particular sensory stimuli.

The scientists gave the mice enhanced mental and physical exercise - putting running wheels in their cages, plus interesting items to smell, see and touch, and found that their condition improved significantly.

They also noted that not only did the rodents' schizophrenia-like symptoms ease through physical and mental exercise, but that a specific chemical transmitter pathway found to be abnormal in the cerebral cortex of the mice was selectively rescued.

The researchers also tested an anti-psychotic drug used by humans on the mice and found that it improved their condition. This showed the team that this mouse model was a valid model for schizophrenia in humans.

Dr Hannan said this discovery could pave the way for the development of better treatments for schizophrenia.

"Through our research, and that of others, we hope a new class of therapeutic drugs will be developed that mimic the effects of environmental enrichment in the brain to treat various brain disorders, possibly including schizophrenia," Dr Hannan said.