Degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s, could one day be treated with drugs that can reverse distressing loss of memory, according to a study.
The study suggests that long-term memories are not destroyed by dementia but made inaccessible.
The insight has come from studies of mice whose brains lost a large number of nerve cells due to neuro-degeneration.
They regained long-term memories and the ability to learn after their surroundings were enriched with toys and other sensory stimuli, according to the study.
The researchers were able to achieve the same results when they treated the mice with a type of drug that encourages the growth of nerve cells.
The results of the experiments suggest that the term memory loss may be an inaccurate description of the kinds of mental deficits associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Li-Huei Tsai said:
The memories are still there, but they are rendered inaccessible by neural degeneration.
The findings could lead to new treatments for neuro-degenerative diseases.
Alzheimer’s disease is becoming more widespread as the population ages, and five million Americans now suffer from the illness, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The research group published its findings on April 29, 2007, in an advance online publication in the journal Nature.
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