News reports of research into memory Jan - April 2001
For index of all headlines, go to News & Views main page
To look at research reports sorted by subject go to Research Reports
For news about Alzheimer's research go directly to the Alzheimer's page
You can find links to the journals referred to on this site here: Journal links
April 2001
The designer estrogen drug raloxifene
has been prescribed to millions of postmenopausal women for
osteoporosis, but its effects on the aging brain are unclear. A
new study shows that although raloxifene does not affect the
cognitive performance of most women, it may help prevent decline
among women older than 70 and women whose cognitive performance
is declining regardless of age.
The study was published in the April 19 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/UNKN-Derm-1704101.php
People who suffer from cognitive difficulties related to
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) may have a slower driving reaction
time and increased risk of accidents. The study compared 13
people with MS who exhibited cognitive difficulties, 15 people
with MS who did not exhibit cognitive difficulties, and 17
people without MS. Based on two computerized driving tests,
those with MS who exhibited cognitive difficulties had a slower
response time by 1,721 milliseconds than the other MS
participants. In addition, 29 percent of these people tested as
high risk for accident involvement.
The study appeared in the April 24 issue of
Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy
of Neurology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAoN-Daai-2304101.php
Face recognition is a
specialized and highly developed memory system in humans,
and a preference for face-like stimuli is evident even in
newborn babies. New research has found that, unlike normally
developing and even mentally retarded children, autistic 3-
and 4-year-olds do not react to a picture of their mother,
although they do react when they see a picture of a familiar
toy. This highlights that autism is a disorder of the social
brain, and may allow diagnoses of autism to be made much
earlier than is now possible.
The study was reported at the annual meeting of the Society
for Research in Child Development.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/UoW-Mija-1604101.php
Treatment programs for people who
suffer from attention problems following a stroke or other
traumatic brain injuries often involve abstract cognitive
exercises designed to directly restore impaired attention
processes. But a review of 30 studies involving a total of
359 participants shows that an alternative and lesser-used
therapy that teaches patients to relearn the tasks that
affect their daily lives the most may be more effective. In
this specific skills approach, people with brain damage
learn to perform attention skills in a way that is different
from non-brain-damaged people. In one study, for example,
participants whose brain injuries affected their ability to
drive a car used small electric cars in the lab to practice
specific driving exercises, such as steering between pylons
that were moved closer and closer together. Those that
practiced specific exercises showed substantial improvement
on a variety of driving related tasks compared to those who
drove the car, but did not practice the exercises.
The study appears in the April issue of
Neuropsychology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/APA-Rlsm-0704101.php
A year-long study of 15 ecstasy users,
ranging in age from 17 to 31, suggests that long-term use of
ecstacy may result in memory impairment in specific areas,
such as the ability to recall a short passage of prose being
read out immediately and after a delay (this ability
declined by approximately 50% between the first and second
assessments).
The study was reported in the April 10 issue of
Neurology, the scientific journal of the American
Academy of Neurology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-04/AAoN-Sfle-0904101.php
Alzheimer news:
Naturally occurring protein could slow Alzheimer's disease
Transplanted human neural stem cells improve memory in rats
UCSD team performs first surgery in gene therapy protocol for Alzheimer's disease
Nerve cell death in Alzheimer's is caused by a failed attempt at cell division
Reminyl has benefits not only on cognition, but on patients' ability to function
March 2001
Severe memory problems in older
adults have become more rare, probably because of better
treatments for dementia, depression and strokes. Researchers
from the University of Michigan interviewed more than 10,000
people ages 70 and older from 1993 to 1998. People tested in
1998 did significantly better on the memory tests than those
tested earlier. In 1998 less than 4% of those 70 and older
showed severe memory problems, and only 8% of those 85 and
older. Surprisingly, the greatest improvement was seen among
those in their 80s and those with less than a high school
education. The decline in memory problems is believed to be
associated with the improvement in physical fitness seen
among the elderly. It is speculated that the increase in
number of women on hormone replacement therapy may also play
a part.
The study is reported in the March issue of the
Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.
Memory failures in which you feel the information you
want is "on the tip of my tongue"
appear to occur because the memory trails to those items
have become faint, either because the items haven't been
used regularly or because of age. Similar sounding items can
help recall. To keep your memory trails strong, you need to
use them - by reading, doing crosswords, anything that uses
language and keeps you meeting new words.
The study appeared in the November issue of the
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and
Cognition.
http://unisci.com/stories/20004/1113005.php
Rats on a high-fat
diet for three months showed severe impairment on a wide range of learning
and memory tasks relative to those animals that consumed the lower fat die. On
the basis that the brain needs glucose in order to function, and that saturated
fatty acids impede glucose metabolism, the high-fat rats were given high doses
of glucose. Glucose significantly improved memory in the high-fat rats,
especially long-term memory.
The findings were published in the March 2001 issue of
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-02/BCfG-Rssh-1802101.php
Alzheimer news:
Another drug for Alzheimer's sufferers
Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease may soon be possible earlier
Overproduction of the brain chemical galanin might contribute to cognitive decline
February 2001
Heart bypasses are becoming
increasingly common - in the U.S., more than half a million
people undergo coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) each
year. A common side-effect of the procedure is postoperative
cognitive decline (frequency of occurrence estimates range
from 33% to 82%, depending on the method of evaluation
used). A recent study looked at the longer-term picture: in
this study, cognitive decline was found in 53% of the
patients at time of discharge; at 6 weeks, the rate was
assessed at 36%; at 6 months, 24%. However, five years after
the surgery the rate of cognitive decline was 42%. Older
age, a lower level of education, a higher preoperative score
for cognitive function, and the presence of cognitive
decline at discharge were all predictors of cognitive
decline at 5 years after CABG. Of these, the most
significant predictor was a decline in cognition seen at
discharge.
Note that there was no control group, so these results must
be treated with caution. Note also that short-term declines
in cognitive function are also reported in elderly subjects
after non-cardiac surgery, and this can persist in a
proportion of these patients - in fact, in 10% after 2
years.
The report was published in the Feb. 8 issue of
The New England Journal of Medicine
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-02/DUMC-Cdab-0602101.php
January 2001
The team of Duke University Medical Center researchers
who demonstrated in late 1999 that
aerobic exercise is just as effective as medication in
treating major depression in the middle-aged and elderly has
now reported that the same exercise program also appears to
improve the cognitive abilities of these patients. The
researchers found significant improvements in the higher
mental processes of memory and the so-called executive
functions, which include planning, organization and the
ability to mentally juggle different intellectual tasks at
the same time. Attention and concentration did not appear to
be affected. Because it has been theorised that a reduction
in blood flow to the brain might be one of the reasons why
the elderly – especially those with coronary artery disease
or hypertension – might suffer some degree of cognitive
decline, it is speculated that exercise might improve
cognitive functioning in such patients by improving the flow
of oxygen-rich blood to specific regions of the brain.
The study was published in the January issue of the
Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-01/DUMC-Aeic-1401101.php
Alzheimer news:
Scientists begin to unravel cause of blocked memory in Alzheimer's
Books
for immediate download!
Now available as a downloadable ebook!
