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Snails may hold key to beating Alzheimer's
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
enlargeScientists at the University of Brighton are close to unlocking the mysteries of the human ageing process, thanks to help from the common pond snail.
They believe the lymnaea stagnalis will also help provide treatments for diseases afflicting the elderly including dementia and Alzheimer's.
The research, led by Dr Mark Yeoman, studied brain functions associated with eating habits. The snails are given flavouring found in pear drop sweets, amyl acetate, plus their normal food, so the creatures get to associate the pear drop taste with feeding. Senile snails forget the association and Dr Yeoman is studying why.
"Find the answer and you are a step closer to discovering why human memory falters, and you are closer to finding drugs that could repair the mechanism or delay is deterioration," he said.
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i do hope that a cure is found for dementia. i am caring for a husband who has alzheimer's and is so taxing on me to take care of him. slowly i can see he is deterriorating and it really hurts. he is now on aricept and namenda but still it is a gradual slowly loss of functions. he has a very low self esteem,. he does not want to take a bath, brush his teeth, does not want to drink water, the whole day he just wants to sit and watch tv. even his walking he is frail.
if u guycome close to a cure, please let me know so i can relay it to his neurologist.
Posted by herminia sacundo | 20.07.08, 16:32 GMT