Determine new proteins that cause memory loss in the elderly

US researchers on August 28 announced that a new protein in the brain has been identified to cause dementia in the elderly, opening up hope that science could one day find a way to improve it. It is a cause of concern for many people entering the "late" age.

In their study, the Columbia University team, led by Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, used laboratory mice and 8 brains of donors, and they found a gene carrying The name RbAp48 is related to dementia because of age.

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The amount of protein that this gene produces in the brain of the elderly is nearly 50% lower than in the brain of young people. This difference is most evident in all 17 genes that are thought to cause changes because of age.

Through laboratory tests in mice, scientists found that when "switching off" the activity of RbAp48 even in young mice, these mice fell into memory loss, while increasing activity. RbAp48 in older mice improves their memory, even making the old mouse's brain seem younger.

The researchers suggest that their new finding is the first molecular evidence to show the difference between dementia in the elderly and Alzheimer's disease (AD), while also assuming the hypothesis that dementia is In the elderly, there is a disorder unrelated to Alzheimer's disease. Kandel confirmed that the ability to reverse dementia in mice is very positive, meaning that science can find a new direction in treating dementia in the elderly.

Mr. Kandel won the Nobel Prize in 2000 for his work on the body's influence on memory retention in nerves.