1. A peptide having a length of from 13 to 17 amino acids, wherein the peptide comprises the amino acid sequence SAGSCKCKESKSTS (SEQ ID NO:7) or a variant of SEQ ID NO:7, said variant having at least 60% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:7, and wherein the peptide stimulates neurite outgrowth, neural cell survival, neural cell differentiation, and/or neural plasticity associated with learning and memory, and/or inhibits inflammation.