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[From A Report on Alzheimer's Disease and Current Research by Dr. Jack Diamond, scientific director of the Alzheimer Society of Canada]
Animal studies offer hope that lost long-term
memories may be recoverable
In this work two genes were studied in mice. One gene, when
activated by appropriate drugs, caused nerve cells to die just
as in Alzheimer's disease, and as in Alzheimer's disease, longterm
memory was lost. The first, truly exciting result was
that when put into an enriched environment, the long-term
memory eventually reappeared, despite the loss of nerve
cells. Thus the memories were there, but couldn't be accessed
until new connections were made by the surviving cells. So
the message in the preceding section gains more support:
socialization and stimulation can eventually help restore
memory in a damaged brain.
The second gene the researchers studied is involved in the
formation of long-term memories (probably by sprouting
new connections). Unexpectedly, a protein that occurs
normally in the body was found to suppress this gene,
so interfering with long-term memory production. The
researchers were able to oppose the action of this suppressor
protein with another drug, and in these mice long-term
memory formation was facilitated, even in brain-damaged
animals.
Now all this is a long way from the human situation, but the
message is critically important. Lost memories may not have
disappeared forever. Even after nerve cells have died, the
recovery of these memories may still be possible, provided
new connectivity among nerve cells can be achieved. And this
is possible, both by environmental stimulation, and one day
by drug treatments.
[The contents of this page are provided for information purposes only and do not represent advice, an endorsement or a recommendation, with respect to any product, service or enterprise, and/or the claims and properties thereof, by the Alzheimer Society of Canada. The information contained in this report was current at the time of printing, April 2008.]
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