Improving Memory with Stem Cells

Improving memory with stem cells is about curing a popular memory deficiency disease, Alzheimer. Alzheimer, also known as 'elderly dementia' is actually a brain disease. An Alzheimer patient will suffer from memory loss and intellectual degradation which certainly defect his or her social life. The general symptoms of Alzheimer are the worsen memory, problems with abstract thought, and difficulties in oral and written communication.

Alzheimer happens because of :
1. Plaques of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain. These plaques interrupt the communication between brain cells and cause the death of neurons.
2. Tangles or twisted threads of protein in the brain which also cause serious damage to the neurons.
3. Genetic factor. A person aged above 65 and have parents or siblings with Alzheimer, may also have the potential of having Alzheimer.
4. Lifestyle factor. Less education, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels may lead to Alzheimer.

Today's medical world has known stem cells treatment as the best solution for many diseases. Therefore the scientists are trying to improve memory with stem cells. Stem cells treatment for Alzheimer has proved successful on animal test. However, the treatment hasn't been given for human being.

Improving rats' memory with stem cells

First, the scientists modified the healthy rats into rats with Alzheimer. Then they specialized the stem cells into neural stem cells and injected the rats. The result showed that after one month of the injection, the rats had shown some memory improvements. But how did it work?

The scientists thought that the neural stem cells would create new neurons or tissues as usual, or maybe they wiped out the plaques and tangles, but it was so different. The neural stem cells actually produced protein that triggered the development of new neurites. The neurites surprisingly improved the communication between neurons in the brain. To be sure that it was the protein that healed the memory, the scientists purposely extracted the protein from the rats' brain, and found that the rats' memory didn't improve anymore.

Research continued by only injected the protein to heal the Alzheimer rats. Although the protein did improve the rats' memory, it didn't last for long. The neural stem cells injection had shown better and longer result than the protein injection.
Logically, it is better to supply the brain with the source of protein than only the protein itself. The protein supply can certainly end, but if there are neural cells as the source that keeps producing protein, then the protein supply will not end, and keep the brain memory functioning well.

Through the research of improving memory with stem cells, scientists realize that the plaques and tangles are not actually the main problems of Alzheimer, although they do have some contributions. The main problem of Alzheimer is the missed communication between brain's neurons. However, improving memory with stem cells is a treatment worth to try, and further researches are necessary for finding better drugs and treatments for Alzheimer.