Reversing Memory Loss in Animal Cells: Study Reveals Potential Help for Alzheimer's Disease

There may be a way to reverse memory loss--at least in snails. Neuroscientists have taken a major step in their efforts to help people with brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease by helping cells compensate for memory loss.

The study, which is published in The Journal of Neuroscience, used sea snail nerve cells in order to examine the phenomenon of memory loss. In particular, it built on a 2012 investigation conducted by John "Jack" Byrne that pioneered a memory enhancement strategy.

"Although much work remains to be done, we have demonstrated the feasibility of our new strategy to help overcome memory deficits," said Byrne, the study's senior author, in a press release.

In order to stave off memory loss, the scientists had to find out the best time for the snails to learn something. Researchers developed a sophisticated mathematical model that can predict when the biochemical processes in a snail's brain are primed for learning. The model itself was based on five training sessions scheduled at different time intervals, ranging from five to 50 minutes. It could generate 10,000 different schedules and identify the one most attuned to optimal learning.

In order to see if learning something at the best time would help with memory loss, the researchers then simulated a brain disorder in a cell culture. They took sensory cells from the sea snails and then blocked the activity of a gene that produces a memory protein. Using these memory-impaired cells, the scientists then mimicked training sessions by administering a chemical at intervals prescribed by the mathematical model that they had created.

It turned out that the method worked. After five "training" sessions administered at regular intervals, the strength of the connections returned to near normal in the impaired cells.

"This methodology may apply to humans if we can identify the same biochemical process in humans," said Byrne in a press release. "Our results suggest a new strategy for treatments of cognitive impairment."

If the technique can indeed be used in humans, it could help those with Alzheimer's and other diseases. That's a bit "if," though. Since the study only used cells instead of actual, living organisms, it may be quite some time before researchers can make this technique applicable to humans--if at all.