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Improve Your BrainScientists have pinpointed a brain chemical that boosts memory, raising hope of new treatments for Alzheimer's.
Scientists have shown that the brain chemical IGF-II plays a key role in the laying down and the strengthening of memories. Learning more about the process could lead to new memory-boosting drugs for Alzheimer’s, stroke and other conditions that rob people of their ability to remember even the simplest things. The reverse may also be possible, with pills that wipe painful memories being used to help soldiers erase the horrors of battle, as well as those haunted by memories of car crashes and sufferers of crippling phobia. In a series of experiments the US government-funded researchers showed IGF-II to play a key role in memory.
The chemical occurs naturally in the body, and is found in relatively high levels in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub. However, levels decline with age. To find out how it affects memory, rats were given mild electric shocks when they entered the darker side of a box. As the creatures normally like shaded spots, any reluctance to re-enter the area was taken to mean they remembered the painful consequences. So, the more the animal avoided the darkness, the better it was at remembering where not to go. Tests showed that levels of IGF-II rose as the animals learnt to avoid the dark spot – and that giving them an injection of the substance boosted memory even further.
New memories were strengthened and were slower to break down. In other words, the creatures found it harder to forget, the journal Nature reports. Read more: dailymail.co.uk
Omega-3 structure may affect bioavailability
The study, published in the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, suggests that omega-3 concentrates – such as triacylglycerides – have much better bioavailability than purified fish oil. Read more: nutraingredients.com
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