Memory pill that could help students and Alzheimer's patients being developed

Memory pill that could help students and Alzheimer's patients being developed

A pill that could make memories "stick" is being developed by scientists in a study that could help students revising for exams and patients with brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:12PM BST 27 Apr 2009


A pill that could make memories 'stick' is being developed by scientists in a study that could help students revising for exams and patients with brain disorders Photo: GETTY

Researchers, looking into obesity, discovered that fatty foods not only send feelings of fullness to the brain but they also trigger a process that consolidates long term memories.

It believed that this is an evolutionary tool that enabled our distant ancestors to remember where rich sources of food were located.

Now they hope to develop drugs which mimic the effect of fat rich foods in order to boost memory in those suffering from brain disorders or who need to cement facts in their brain.

The team at the University of California found that oleic acids from fats are transformed into a compound called oleoylethanolamide (OEA) in the upper region of the small intestine.

OEA not only send hunger-curbing messages to the brain to increase feelings of fullness but also "causes memory consolidation, the process by which superficial, short-term memories are transformed into meaningful, long-term ones", it was discovered.

Professor Daniele Piomelli, who led the study, said it works by activating memory-enhancing signals in the amygdala, the part of the brain involved in the consolidation of memories of emotional events.

Professor Piomelli said: "OEA is part of the molecular glue that makes memories stick.

"By helping mammals remember where and when they have eaten a fatty meal, OEA's memory-enhancing activity seems to have been an important evolutionary tool for early humans and other mammals."

He added that dietary fats are important for overall health, helping with the absorption of vitamins and the protection of vital organs.

While the human diet is now rich in fats, this was not the case for early humans, he said. In fact, fat-rich foods in nature are quite rare.

"Remembering the location and context of a fatty meal was probably an important survival mechanism for early humans," he said. "It makes sense that mammals have this capability."

The researchers, who published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that administering OEA to rodents improved memory retention in two different tests.

When cell receptors activated by OEA were blocked, memory retention effects decreased.

Prof Piomelli said drugs that mimic OEA are in clinical trials.

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust said the research offered "fascinating" insights into the way we remember.

"When thinking about what constitutes a healthy diet, usually what's good for the heart is also good for the head.

"Better understanding of how memories are formed could lead to new treatments that help the brain when it becomes affected by Alzheimer's."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/5230673/Memory-pill-that-could-help-students-and-Alzheimers-patients-being-developed.html