Memory Loss Associated with Aging CAN be Restored

Yes, forgetfulness is reversible!

Researchers from Yale University in the United States, recently found that the neural networks in the brain of people of middle-aged and elderly have weaker connections and are less robust than in younger people.

Interestingly, scientists report that their research suggests that this condition is reversible.

As people age, they tend to forget things more easily distracted and have greater difficulty with executive functions, which is normal.

These age-related deficits have been known for years, but the cellular basis for these cognitive difficulties so common is not yet understood by science.

Working memory

The new study looked for the first time, age-related changes in the activity of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the area of ​​the brain that is responsible for most cognitive and executive functions of higher degree.

Networks of neurons in the prefrontal cortex "trigger" continuously to keep the information "in mind" even in the absence of environmental signals.

This process is called "working memory", which allows us to remember, for example, where we left the car keys, even when that information must be constantly updated.

This ability is the basis for abstract thought and reasoning, and is often called "mental scratch." It is also essential to executive functions, such as engaging in several things at the same time, the organization and the inhibition of inappropriate actions and thoughts for the moment.

Reversing the aging neurons

The scientists studied the firing of prefrontal cortical neurons in young animals, middle-aged and elderly, when they performed a task that uses working memory.

The neurons of young rats were able to keep firing at a high rate during the use of working memory, while the neurons of older animals showed slower rates of firing.

However, when the researchers adjusted the neurochemical environment around the neurons to be more like a young animal, neuronal firing rates of older animals were restored to levels seen in younger animals.

Guanfacine

Scientists say that during aging, the prefrontal cortex appear to accumulate excessive levels of a signaling molecule called cAMP, which can open ion channels and weaken the neuronal firing.

Agents that inhibit or block the cAMP were able to restore the firing patterns in neurons aged.

One of the compounds that improved the neuronal firing was guanfacine, a drug that is already approved for treatment of hypertension in adults and neuronal deficits in children, suggesting that the drug may also be useful for the elderly.

For this, the group is starting a clinical trial to test the ability of guanfacine to improve working memory and executive functions in the elderly who don't have Alzheimer's or other dementias.

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