Scientists from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found that memory training in youth helps preserve memory in old age. Old mice that were given memory exercises when they were young performed better on cognitive tests. In this respect reports SciTechDaily.
Scientists divided rodents into two groups. The first group of mice were given short-term training in memory and spatial orientation when they were three to five months old and then again when the mice were about one year old. The second group did not exercise at all.
At 19–23 months of age, both groups of rodents were tested to assess cognitive abilities. Mice were placed in an open field and had to move around to get a reward. The results showed that rodents who previously completed spatial orientation and memory exercises took in more food and were more coordinated in their search.
In the first group of mice, learning ability, short-term memory, as well as motor and motivational functions remained unchanged despite aging. Additionally, rodents have demonstrated the phenomenon of behavioral marking. Behavioral tagging is the conversion of short-term memory into long-term memory by associating it with new experiences. Most likely, the mice were able to detect similarities between the previous tests and the final cognitive test.
Scientists noted that the study may serve as a key to understanding the processes of remembering and forgetting not only in mice but also in humans.
Russian scientists before discovered A new way to fight Alzheimer’s disease.
Source: Gazeta
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