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posted by cmn32480 on Friday March 18 2016, @07:44PM   Printer-friendly
from the i-forgot-how-this-works dept.

Optogenetics has been used to activate neurons in mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms, allowing them to remember the fear caused by an electric shock:

Memories banished by Alzheimer's can in theory be rescued by stimulating nerve cells to grow new connections, a study has shown. The research, conducted in mice, raises the possibility of future treatments that reverse memory loss in early stages of the disease. Scientists used a technique called optogenetics, which uses light to activate cells tagged with a special photo-sensitive protein. It was tested on mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms that quickly forgot the experience of receiving a mild electric shock to their feet. After tagged cells in their brains were stimulated with light, their memory returned and they displayed a fear response when placed in the chamber where the shock had been applied an hour earlier.

The optogenetic treatment helped the neurons re-grow small buds called dendritic spines, which form synaptic connections with other cells. Although the same technique cannot be used in humans, the research points the way to future memory-retrieving therapies, say the researchers. Lead scientist Prof Susumu Tonegawa, from the Picower institute for learning and memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, said: "The important point is, this a proof of concept. That is, even if a memory seems to be gone, it is still there. It's a matter of how to retrieve it."

The research, published in the journal Nature, specifically targeted memory cells in the hippocampus region of the brain previously identified by Tonegawa's team. Two different strains of mice, genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's symptoms, plus a control group of healthy animals, were used in the experiment.

Memory retrieval by activating engram cells in mouse models of early Alzheimer's disease (DOI: 10.1038/nature17172)

Another recent study (open, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151081) of Alzheimer's disease found that gum inflammation may hasten the brain's decline.


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  • (Score: 0, Offtopic) by Subsentient on Saturday March 19 2016, @01:09AM

    by Subsentient (1111) on Saturday March 19 2016, @01:09AM (#320247) Homepage Journal

    it's wonderful to squeeze the juice out of a fresh one onto some nachos for flavoring. Acne pus makes a delightful substitute for sour cream as well. I totally recommend it.

    --
    "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti