Snails cured of Alzheimer's disease
Found a way to restore memory loss
Medical News based on Medical News Today:
Scientists uncover potential to restore lost memories in patients with early Alzheimer'sAmerican scientists have demonstrated how synapses between brain neurons can be restored in neurological diseases and injuries, which will strengthen the state of memory in Alzheimer's disease.
The results of the study are published in the journal eLife (Chen et al., Reinstatement of long-term memory following erasure of its behavioral and synaptic expression in Aplysia, in the public domain – VM).
Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles studied the process of learning and memory formation on the model of the sea snail aplysia, which showed that memories can be restored by starting the re-growth of damaged synapses.
Aplysia californica, ejecting ink liquid (picture from Wikipedia) – VM
As the results of the experiments showed, in response to the effect of a weak electric current in the body of snails, a protective mechanism was triggered, serotonin was released, and synaptic connections were regenerated. This defensive reaction lasted for several days, which indicates the launch of a long-term reaction to a traumatic event. However, if this mechanism is violated, for example, in case of injury, protein synthesis slows down, and memories are not formed.
As further laboratory studies have shown, when serotonin was added to a Petri dish, new synapses were formed between sensory and motor neurons. But the addition of a protein synthesis inhibitor after serotonin stopped the restoration of synaptic connections and interfered with the formation of memories.
According to the data obtained by scientists, long-term memories are not stored in synapses, so they are not irretrievably lost if the neurons themselves are intact. Therefore, if synaptic connections are disrupted, for example, with a concussion or at the initial stage of Alzheimer's disease, when there is a violation of the synthesis of proteins necessary for the formation of long-term memories, these connections can still be restored, therefore, lost memories can also be restored.
"As long as the neurons are alive, memory can still be restored despite its violations, therefore, at an early stage of the development of Alzheimer's disease, it is possible to restore lost memories," Medical News Today quoted the words of the study's main author David Glanzman (David Glanzman).
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