Forgetfulness may soon be a memory, say scientists probing cognitive ageing

Scientists have pinpointed the molecular defects that cause cognitive ageing such as forgetfulness.

Not only is age-related memory loss a syndrome in its own right and completely unrelated to Alzheimer's, but, unlike that dread disease, it may be reversible or even preventable, researchers led by a Nobel laureate said in a new study.

That's good news for all the older adults who occasionally forget why they walked into a room - and panic that they are getting Alzheimer's disease: it's perfectly normal.

Using human brains that had been donated to science as well as the brains of laboratory mice, the study for the first time pinpointed the molecular defects that cause cognitive ageing.

In an unusual ray of hope for a field that has had almost nothing to offer older adults whose memory is failing, the study's authors conclude that drugs, foods or even behaviour might be identified that affect those molecular mechanisms, helping to restore memory.

Any such interventions would represent a significant advance over the paltry offerings science has come up with so far to prevent memory decline, such as advice to keep cognitively active and healthy - which helps some people, but not all, and has only a flimsy scientific foundation. By identifying the "where did I park the car?" molecule, the discovery could also kick-start the mostly moribund efforts to develop drugs to slow or roll back the memory lapses that accompany normal ageing.