Ever wonder why certain smells take you down memory lane? Scientists reveal how odours help people remember events in a discovery that could help treat Alzheimer’s
- Information about time is stored in the same brain region as odour processing
- Combined, this creates a ‘what-when-where memory’, researcher claims
- Alzheimer’s patients’ sense of smell often fades before their mental decline
- Testing suspected patients’ smell could be an easy, cheap and quick diagnosis
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Scientists have suggested why certain smells cause people to vividly recall memories.
Information about time and space is stored in the same region of the brain where odours are processed, which may help people remember their ex’s perfume when they reminisce about a particular date, a study found.
Lead author Dr Afif Aqrabawi, from the University of Toronto, said: ‘When these elements combine, a what-when-where memory is formed.
‘In other words, we’ve discovered how you are able to remember the smell of your grandma’s apple pie when walking into her kitchen.’
The researchers hope the findings will boost early diagnosis in Alzheimer’s sufferers, whose sense of smell typically fades before their cognitive decline.
Scientists have suggested why certain smells cause people to vividly recall memories (stock)
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IS THERE A PILL FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?
A breakthrough Alzheimer’s drug edges scientists one step closer to a cure, new research suggested in November 2017.
Taken twice a day, a tablet, known as LMTX, significantly improves dementia sufferers’ brain injuries to the extent their MRI scans resemble those of healthy people after just nine months, a study found.
Lead author Professor Gordon Wilcock from the University of Oxford told MailOnline: ‘I haven’t seen such brain injury recovery before after a drug treatment.’
LMTX, which is under investigation, also significantly improves patients’ abilities to carry out everyday tasks such as bathing and dressing themselves, while also boosting their capabilities to correctly name objects and remember the date, the research adds.
The drug contains a chemical that dissolves protein ‘tangles’ in the brain that clump together to form plaques in the region associated with memory, according to its manufacturer TauRx Pharmaceuticals.
Dissolving these tangles and preventing the formation of new plaques may slow or even halt memory loss in dementia sufferers, the pharma company adds.
The researchers, from the universities of Oxford and Aberdeen, analysed 800 Alzheimer’s patients across 12 countries.
The study’s participants received either 100mg or 4mg LMTX tablets twice a day for 18 months.
They were tested on their ability to name objects, follow commands such as ‘make a fist’, recall items from a list of 10 and identify their name, the time and date.
Their ability to eat without help, use a telephone, wash and dress themselves, and control their bowel and bladder was also assessed.
MRI scans monitored the participants’ brain injury.
‘We now understand which circuits in the brain govern the memory for smell’
Researchers from the University of Toronto analysed mice, who prefer to seek out new smells.
Dr Aqrabawi explained: ‘When they lose this preference, it’s implied they no longer remember the smell even though they have sniffed it before, so they continue to smell something as if for the first time.’
The scientists disconnected the nerve connections between the rodents’ brain regions associated with memory and odour processing.
This caused the animals to return to odours they had already smelt and sniff them for longer.
Dr Aqrabawi said: ‘We now understand which circuits in the brain govern the memory for smell.
‘The circuit can now be used as a model to study aspects of human memory and the odour memory deficits seen in neurodegenerative conditions.’
Tests that assess suspected Alzheimer’s sufferers’ sense of smell may be quicker, cheaper and easier than current diagnosis methods, the scientists add.
Adding sugar to your tea increases your risk of Alzheimer’s
This comes after research released earlier this month suggested adding less than three teaspoons of sugar to your tea every day increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sweetening food or drinks with just two-and-a-half teaspoons of sugar makes people 54 per cent more likely to develop the condition, a study by Columbia University found.
Indulging in just one can of sugary soda a day increases the risk of dementia by 47 per cent compared to those who only consume such beverages around once every three months, the research adds.
Speaking of the findings, Dr Doug Brown, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Too much sugar is linked to type 2 diabetes and previous research has identified type 2 diabetes as a risk factor for dementia.
‘This study backs up this evidence, suggesting that excess sugar may increase our risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and all types of sugar – from fruit juice to lemonade – have the same impact.
‘By cutting down on the fizzy drinks, sweets and cakes, and eating a varied and balanced diet, we will be able to reduce our risk of developing dementia in later life.’
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