May 10, 2016 by
Our memories link us to our past and unite us with our loved ones. One of the biggest tragedies of Alzheimer’s disease is that it robs a person of his or her precious memories, which creates confusion for the person with the disease and a sense of disconnect and frustration among his or her loved ones. If you’ve spent any length of time with a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you know firsthand how tragic the loss of memory can be. And it’s been widely accepted that once these memories have been wiped away, they’re gone for good.
However, a new study points to a promising alternative: perhaps those memories haven’t been destroyed by the disease after all, and are, in fact, recoverable. Research performed on mice lends strong support to this theory, as those genetically altered to mimic Alzheimer’s appeared to regain memory when brain cells were stimulated with a special blue light.
Although quite a bit of work remains before this treatment can be safely translated into a human procedure, “The potential to rescue long-term memory in dementia is exciting,” according to Prerana Shrestha and Eric Klann of the Center for Neural Science at New York University.
This new treatment could be a game changer in the way we treat people with Alzheimer’s disease, and the Fayetteville At Home Independent Living team will keep a close eye on its development. If you have a senior loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, At Home Independent Living provides compassionate, therapeutic, and trusted Alzheimer’s and dementia care in Fayetteville, NY and the surrounding communities. Contact us to learn more.