Have you ever thought that your short-term memory was just really bad? Forgetting the name of someone you just met or where you put your keys are common slips in memory that haunt most of us at some point in our lives. For certain individuals these issues will continue to progress with age and lead to signs of detrimental conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. A new study led by Prof. Ian Deary of the University of Edinburgh in the UK identifies specific genes that are linked to poorer memory in life. This was the first international study that found a link between common genetic variants and the ability to recall lists of words and stories.
The genetic variants associated with memory performance also predicted altered levels of expression of certain genes in the hippocampus, a key region of the brain for the consolidation of information. This really is an interesting study for me because I do feel like I have really bad memory, and I’m young. I don’t personally have any relatives that suffer from diseases such as Alzheimer’s but the fact that the genes associated with it can be identified can lead to revolutions in the medical aspect. This can help lead the path to new preventative medicines. The data from this study from the memory test can be used in future studies as well.
if this gene is responsible for people having bad short term memories. Then this can help out many individuals get detected for Alzheimers at an early stage, and can get them help they need. If possible can also be seen the reverse and scientists and researchers can discover a way to improve memory by altering the gene.
ReplyDeleteThis semester I've taken two courses on memory. It's interesting to see that memory could be affected by genetic factors rather than what psychologists claim to hinder retrieval.
ReplyDeleteNow that scientists know what causes dementia, maybe they can also test what triggers the gene to cause a disease like Alzheimers with respect to their age. Just found a link here that details the molecular reaction in a recent study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130529101505.htm
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