Cerebral fluid improves mouse memory


Memory often declines with age. This process is not yet curable – but possibly reversible in parts. Researchers led by Tal Iram from Stanford University in the US recently succeeded in improving the memory of older mice by giving them the brain fluid of young animals. The scientists have now published their results in the journal »Nature«.

The brain water, also called liquor, contained certain proteins, the growth factors. Iram and her team discovered that these stimulated some nerve cells in the memory center of the older mice. The cells then multiplied and increased their production of their insulating layer, the myelin. The well-insulated nerve cells were able to transmit signals better than before; the memory performance of the senior mice increased.

The cerebrospinal fluid of older mice also contained growth factors, but in lower amounts than that of young animals. In addition, the nerve cells of the aging animals were no longer so well insulated. As a result, her memory performance declined.

The research team took some brain water from young mice and injected the liquid into the skulls of the older rodents. The old animals then performed better on a behavioral exercise they had been trained to do prior to treatment. In a next step, the scientists examined the genes and nerve cells of the elderly mice. In doing so, they identified one growth factor in particular, fibroblast growth factor 17, which seemed to significantly stimulate nerve cells. The protein could perhaps be used in the future in the treatment of dementia.



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