Scientists have been trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) for years, and they may finally be onto something that may help with the severe memory loss experienced by those who suffer from this debilitating disease.
Alzheimer’s is essentially caused by the loss of memory cells in the brain over time–at a much higher rate than the typical person that is experiencing the standard aging process. The downfall of Alzheimer’s is that these memory cells cannot be rebuilt or recreated.
Or can they?
Scientists have recently found a way to generate memory cells in the laboratory. In a small culture dish, memory cells can be created, and the hope of scientists is that these cells can be transplanted to Alzheimer’s patients in order to help them regain the memory cells that they have lost due to the disease. The end result would be the reversal of memory loss from the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
This is a huge step for science–knowing that memory cells CAN be created and perhaps transplanted can help with not only Alzheimer’s, but can quite possibly assist those experiencing memory loss from aging, medications, and other instances in which memory cells are damaged or destroyed and otherwise irreplaceable.
In addition, scientists can now create their own memory cells in order to test in the laboratory so they can continue learning. They can use these cells in experiments to determine how they work, how they can be transplanted, and what scientists can do to keep them from dying off due to Alzheimer’s.