Hibernation Protein May Halt Alzheimer's

BarbaraHudson writes The BBC is reporting that tests show a protein called RBM3, involved in hibernation, may hold the key to regenerating synapses. In the early stages of Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative disorders, synapses are lost. This inevitably progresses to whole brain cells dying. But during hibernation, 20-30% of the connections in the brain — synapses — are culled as the body preserves resources over winter, and are reformed in the spring, with no loss of memory. Memories can be restored after hibernation as only the receiving end of the synapse shuts down. In a further set of tests, the team showed the brain cell deaths from prion disease and Alzheimer's could be prevented by artificially boosting RBM3 levels. Prof Mallucci was asked if memories could be restored in people if their synapses could be restored: "Absolutely, because a lot of memory decline is correlated with synapse loss, which is the early stage of dementia, so you might get back some of the synapse you've lost."

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Comments

Re:Memory

[BarbaraHudson]

In this case pronouncing the word "disease" is a slack way of dismissing the symptoms of dementia without any futher (sic) thought.

Most people who call dementia a disease do not dismiss the symptoms, especially considering the huge impact those symptoms have on both the patient and those around them.

Also, when you wrote "One girl asked, "Is it true that in your country you send old people off to live alone?", you didn't take into account that the average lifespan in many parts of Africa the life expectancy is below 50, and in some parts (Sierra Leone) it's below 40. The average - a puny 52 years. So when that little girl asked her question, she wasn't referring to "old people", but middle-aged people at best. She probably hasn't even seen an old person with dementia.