Email a Friend
Printer Friendly
Slashdot It!
Submit to Reddit
Add to Facebook

Drug triggers body's mechanism to reverse aging effect on memory process

July 28, 2006

A drug made to enhance memory appears to trigger a natural mechanism in the brain that fully reverses age-related memory loss, even after the drug itself has left the body, according to researchers at UC Irvine.

Professors Christine Gall and Gary Lynch, along with Associate Researcher Julie Lauterborn, were among a group of scientists who conducted studies on rats with a class of drugs known as ampakines. Ampakines were developed in the early 1990s by UC researchers, including Lynch, to treat age-related memory impairment and may be useful for treating a number of central nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. In this study, the researchers showed that ampakine drugs continue to reverse the effects of aging on a brain mechanism thought to underlie learning and memory even after they are no longer in the body. They do so by boosting the production of a naturally occurring protein in the brain necessary for long-term memory formation.

The study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology.

"This is a significant discovery," said Gall, professor of anatomy and neurobiology. "Our results indicate the exciting possibility that ampakines could be used to treat learning and memory loss associated with normal aging."

The researchers treated two groups of middle-aged rats twice a day for four days with either a solution that contained ampakines or one that did not. They then studied the hippocampus region of the rats' brains, an area critical for memory and learning. They found that in the ampakine-treated rats, there was a significant increase in the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein known to play a key role in memory formation. They also found an increase in long-term potentiation (LTP), the process by which the connection between the brain cells is enhanced and memory is encoded. This enhancement is responsible for long-term cognitive function, higher learning and the ability to reason. With age, deficits in LTP emerge, and learning and memory loss occurs.

Significantly, restoration of LTP was found in the middle-aged rats' brains even after the ampakines had been cleared from the animals' bodies. The drug used in the injections has a half-life of only 15 minutes; the increase in LTP was seen in the rats' brains more than 18 hours later. According to the researchers, this study suggests that pharmaceutical products based on ampakines can be developed that do not need to be in the system at all times in order to be effective. Most drugs used to deal with central nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, are only effective when they are in the body. Further studies will be needed to determine exactly how long the effect on LTP will be maintained after the ampakines leave the system.

The lingering presence of LTP also appears to contribute to BDNF remaining in the body, researchers said. "Ampakines work in two important ways to improve learning and memory," Lauterborn said. "They directly stimulate the connection between nerve cells, which has an immediate effect of boosting LTP. But they also increase the presence of this important protein, BDNF, that can stay in the body and keep boosting memory after the drug has worn off."

Collaborators on the study were Christopher Rex, Ching-Yi Lin, Eniko A. Kramar and Gary Rogers of Cortex Pharmaceuticals.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging, and from National Institute of Mental Health. The ampakine drug was provided by Cortex.

UC Irvine

Related Memory Process Current Events and Memory Process News Articles

Memory Process Current Events and Memory Process News RSS

Memory links to 40 winks
When it comes to executing items on tomorrow's to-do list, it's best to think it over, then "sleep on it," say psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis.

To learn better, take a nap (and don't forget to dream)
Researchers reporting online on April 22nd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, offer more evidence that successful study habits should include plenty of napping.

New understanding of protein's role in brain
How do we process thoughts and store memories? A team of researchers headed by Dr. Nahum Sonenberg of McGill's Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Centre has discovered that brains in mammals modify a particular protein in a unique way, which alters the protein's normal function.

Sleep helps reduce errors in memory, MSU research suggests
Sleep may reduce mistakes in memory, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at Michigan State University.

UT Southwestern researchers discover brain's memory 'buffer' in single cells
Individual nerve cells in the front part of the brain can hold traces of memories on their own for as long as a minute and possibly longer, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Daytime sleep improves memory consolidation
A ninety minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation, a recent study conducted by Prof. Avi Karni and Dr. Maria Korman of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifa found.

U of M study identifies medication that helps people with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that a drug originally developed to fight tuberculosis may help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder make more progress in therapy sessions.

Memory function: There is hope for alcoholics with Korsakoff Syndrome
People with Korsakoff Syndrome (KS), a brain disorder usually associated with long-term heavy drinking and thiamine deficiency, often have profound deficits in their "explicit memory" or ability to recall recent events.

Scan visualises poor memory in the elderly
Dutch psychologists have found that elderly persons with a poor memory demonstrate less activity in the mediotemporal lobe when storing new information than elderly persons with a normally functioning memory. Sander Daselaar from the Free University of Amsterdam made scans of the activity in various brain areas. These showed differences between elderly persons with a good memory and elderly persons with a poor memory. The research revealed that a normal deterioration of the memory in the elderly is related to a less effective storage of data. During his research Daselaar administered various memory tasks to both young participants and healthy elderly persons who lived independently. The stud

More Memory Process Current Events and Memory Process News Articles

	Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures (2nd Edition) by W. Scott Terry (Author) This comprehensive book covers the core principles of learning and memory in a clear, reader-friendly style, covering animal learning and human memory in a balanced fashion. The relationship between the field of neuropsychology and learning and memory has been stressed throughout the book, with special attention given to brain imaging research. The coverage of memory problems has been expanded to include sections addressing imagination inflation and recovered memory. Additional discussion of spatial memory in Chapter 11 features a discussion of the computer-based virtual mazes that are used for testing human spatial learning. Chapter 12, "Psychopathology and Memory," now includes a piece on post-traumatic stress disorder and related effects on memory. Designed for those...
	Copic Ciao Markers, Process Blue by Notions Marketing - Drop Ship COPIC MARKER-Copic Ciao Marker. With its Super Brush is the perfect tool for creative expression in fashion; graphics; textiles; fine arts lettering and calligraphy. It paints as well as it draws! Features: delivers a vibrant color on photo-copied surfaces; fast drying; durable polyester nibs come in Medium Broad and Super Brush: a soft; flexible; fast-flowing brush for delicate or bold expression; available in a vast array of colors and refillable with the standard Copic Various Inks; solid polypropylene body is both smooth and comfortable for a perfect controllable grip; precise and positive colored capping system provides for instant color selection; body inscriptions and symbols are wear resistant and easily cleaned with Copic cleaner (not included). Imported.
	No Memory of the Airshow This Is A Process Of A Still Life (Primary Contributor)
	How to Strengthen Memory by a New Process by Celtic Giraffe Books From the book... The only System which is purely physiological. Not learned by heart, but assimilated to the natural memory by the simple articulation, comparison, and suggestion of sounds. Its distinguishing feature is the prominence and importance given to Presentation in cultivating memory* It shows that right presentation is the true secret of perfect impression; that memory taxing associations are not in the least necessary in order to link together facts and ideas in the mind...
	All The Days Before Tomorrow Starring: Joey Kern Directed By: Francios Dompierre
	Process of Un-Recording Memory by Silenus
	To Touch a Grieving Heart: Healing Ways to Help Ourselves and Others Walk the Journey of Grief (VHS Tape) Also With: Kathleen Braza (Host) Grief is a complex array of emotions that are often confusing and painful to the bereaved. Because we care, we yearn to find the words of actions that may give some comfort to them. Perhaps we are also a griever, seeking peace within ourselves. As a grief counselor, Kathleen Braza has walked the journey of grief with many bereaved people. Her sensitive and practical insights are captured in this enlightening and highly acclaimed program, helping each of us understand the process of grief, and how we might touch grieving hearts in healthy ways.
	Processor upgrade - 1 Second-Generation Opteron 2222 / 3 GHz - L2 2 MB ( 2 x 1 MB ) by Hewlett Packard With advances like high-performing, low-power DDR2 memory and hardware-assisted AMD Virtualization, Second-Generation AMD Opteron processors with Direct Connect Architecture are designed to advance AMD's performance-per-watt capabilities and extend the leadership in x86 virtualization, while maintaining the same thermal infrastructure and helping you leverage existing investments. Product Type: Processor upgrade Processor Type: Second-Generation Opteron 2222 Multi-Core Technology: Dual-Core 64-bit Computing: Yes Processor Qty: 1 Clock Speed: 3 GHz Cache Memory: L2 2 MB ( 2 x 1 MB ) Features: AMD Virtualization Compatible Slots: 1 x processor
	Relevos TSE by WM Software Relevos TSE controls CPU and memory resources on Windows® terminal servers. It eliminates user delays and ensures no user or processe can consume all of the CPU at the expense of other users or processes. Relevos addresses the most critical issue concerning terminal server performance: user and application response times. Relevos monitors all running processes and users, identifying those that consume excessive CPU and memory resources, and ensures no user or process can consume excessive CPU or memory resources at the expense of other users or other processes. It accomplishes this with a minimum of overhead so the terminal server can concentrate on serving applications to users. This product is designed exclusively for customers running terminal server.
	The Process Management Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide for Building Cross-functional Excellence by Robert D. Boehringer (Author), Amanda Dietz (Author), Paul King (Author), Ralph Smith (Author)