A Cambridge research team claims that sudden memory loss with age can be reversed. The results of their study could lead to the development of therapeutic approaches that address age-related cognitive problems such asTreat Alzheimer's or dementia. The researchers showed that they could reverse such changes in the brain's extracellular matrix through genetic treatments.
How to prevent sudden memory loss
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to learn, adapt, and create memories. The study authors examined whether manipulating compounds in the perineuronal networks of the brains of old mice could restore neuroplasticity and alleviate age-related memory deficits. Using a series of tests, the team showed that the animals had deficits in their memory compared to six-month-old laboratory mice. The older mice were much less likely to remember an object during the experiment. The researchers then treated the aging mice with a viral vector capable of transforming the neuronal connections. They found that this completely restored memory in the older mice as in younger animals. So scientists were able to bring memory and learning ability back to a much younger level. The exciting thing is that this study should work through the same mechanism in humans. This shows that sudden memory loss can disappear with age.
The team has already identified a potential drug approved for human use. The compound can restore brain function and also improve recovery from spinal cord injuries. The research team is now studying whether this could help alleviate memory loss in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. The therapeutic approach used by the study authors and their colleagues, which is based on the use of viral vectors to treat amnesia, is increasingly being used to treat human neurological diseases. A second team from the research center has followed suitthis studyResearch published showing its use to repair damage caused by glaucoma and dementia.
