BDNF and dementia: Similarly, Heyn et al. provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of exercise treatments for persons with dementia and related cognitive impairments (9).It is now well established that cognitive improvement and neurogenesis following exercise critically depend on synthesis and release of Brain Derived Neurotherophic Factor (BDNF), most likely of endothelial origin and regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (27).