Alzheimer’s research has been in the spotlight for many years. This may be because our society has a fear of the symptoms associated with this disease. The main symptom is dementia, or memory loss that can hinder daily life. Fortunately researchers are making progress in the search for a cure.
I have witnessed the transformation that one experiences when suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.My aunt lived in California for most of her life but once she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease she became very fearful of her future. She flew thousands of miles to country that conducts Alzheimer’s treatments that are controversial in the United States. She was fortunate enough to be able to do this once a month. I was able to see a short term improvement, after a few weeks she needed more treatment.This treatment was not a cure, it seemed to temporarily improve her short term memory. However after years of suffering from the disease she eventually passed.
For that reason memory has been my favorite topic throughout our studies. Learning about STM and encoding was very interesting to me. At the time I did not understand STM and encoding. I have since learned that short term memory is the present time period. It is what we need to continue an activity in the present. Someone with Alzheimer’s Disease will have difficulty continuing a conversation, or reading a book. They may even drift off into a different time period, recalling from LTM.
I was able to find an experiment on Scientific Amercican.com (Sara Reardon,2016) that appeared to explain STM encoding in mice with amnesia similar to Alzheimer patients. Neuroscientist Susumu Tonegawa and his team at MIT recently found, that in certain types of amnesia the memories can not be recalled, but have been stored. This theory was tested on mice with mutations that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Mice with these mutations form plaque in their brain that leads to memory loss. This is very similar to what happens in humans with Alzheimer’s disease. In the experiment mice were placed a box where they were presented with an electric shock. These mice did not become fearful of the box because they did not remember the event. These mice were unable to create short term memories. The researchers were able to create a light-sensitive protein in the neurons of the hippocampus. The mice were placed in the box without an electric shock and a light was shining on them. This caused the neurons to fire, then the mice froze in fear. It appears that the mice had encoded the memories but were unable to retrieve them.By the next day the mice had forgotten.
Overall there has not been a cure to Alzheimer’s Disease but researchers around the world seem to be unlocking pieces to the puzzle. Currently there are medications and lifestyle changes that can help with symptoms.
Reardon, S., & Magazine, N. (2016, March 17). Memories Retrieved in Mutant “Alzheimer’s” Mice. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/memories-retrieved-in-mutant-alzheimer-s-mice/