Breakthrough in memory research brings hope in Alzheimer’s fight

NEW findings from the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh will allow researchers to better target the loss of brain function experienced by people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists have pinpointed a breakdown in the connections between two parts of the brain as a key factor in the loss of memory.

The team discovered that a malfunction in the connection between the hippocampus – which plays an important role in the consolidation of memory – and the neocortex – which is responsible for higher order brain functions – can cause problems with episodic memory, while leaving other memories intact.

Episodic memory describes the memories of things that have happened to us, such as dates, places and events – problems remembering this kind of information is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

The research focused on one of the first areas to show changes in Alzheimer’s, the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC). It has been known for years that Alzheimer’s appears to start in this region, but the discovery offers hope for the development of future treatments for the disease, which affects more than 520,000 people in the UK, including an estimated 90,000 in Scotland.

A team, led by Dr Brianna Vandrey now of Edinburgh University, found that when a particular connection between the LEC and the hippocampus malfunctions, episodic memory is affected while simpler memories are not.

Dr James Ainge of the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews said it was helpful in understanding the degeneration of memory networks.

“This research gives us a very specific target when developing treatments and strategies to prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “In order to understand the early stages of Alzheimer’s and develop treatments, it is important to study how the brain supports episodic memory and how damage to the brain can result in episodic memory deficits.”

The findings come days after researchers at Edinburgh University published research into the way proteins “co-operate” to block brain messaging, opening up new paths to treatment.

Jim Pearson, director of policy and research at Alzheimer Scotland, said: “Alzheimer Scotland warmly welcomes this very positive development from scientists at the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh. Scotland is leading on key dementia research. But overall we need more research into the causes of dementia, the care of people living with dementia and potential future treatments.”

A DRAWING by Scots musician Annie Lennox highlighting the impact of global warming has been unveiled as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s Christmas card.

The card, which shows an Arctic polar bear on top of a melting glacier, is an original piece.

The work will be auctioned next year with the proceeds going to three charities, The Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre, the Marine Conservation Society and the Friends of Victoria and Whyteman’s Brae Hospitals.

Ms Sturgeon said that Ms Lennox had done a “fantastic job” with the artwork.