A U.S. study suggested that the memory fading with age could be
ascribed to the less coordinated brain systems in healthy people,
media reported Thursday.
The study conducted by researchers at Harvard University aimed
to understand the difference between aging and Alzheimer's
disease.
In the study, researchers divided subjects into two groups: the
group of subjects aging 60 and over, and the one of subjects aging
35 and younger.
Brain scans were done to detect the presence of amyloid, a
chemical typically associated with Alzheimer's disease, to rule out
those whose memory declines were disease-related.
The results showed that the disruption of white matter conduits,
which carry information between different regions of the brain,
only happend in the older group.
The damage of these conduits can disturb the information
processing of the brain which causes memory and other cognitive
abilities to go soft.
But the researchers said not everyone was impaired to the same
degree."Some brains may be better prepared for the assault of
Alzheimer's disease," said Randy Buckner, a Harvard professor and
Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher who worked on the
study.
This may help explain why some people who develop Alzheimer's
disease succumb quickly and others decline more slowly.
(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2007)