A Canadian research center has made an important discovery for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The early declines in the plasticity of the brain, its ability to adapt, could be the cause of memory problems.
A new discovery in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. A research center based in Toronto, Canada, has linked this disease to the plasticity of the brain, its ability to adapt. The study published on Wednesday, October 25, shows that brain plasticity is significantly lower in people in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease, compared to people without the disease at the same age.
The research was particularly interested in the plasticity of the frontal lobes. It is to them that the so-called superior thinking capacities are linked, those which activate working memory or the capacity for planning. People who have reduced plasticity in this part of the brain have poorer working memory, according to this study. This memory is used, for example, to do mental arithmetic.
Improve brain plasticity to prevent dementia
“Impaired brain plasticity could be a future target for the treatment or prevention of dementia, for which no major treatment currently exists,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, one of the lead authors of the study. Among the approaches studied is brain simulation, which can be accompanied by brain training exercises. For Dr. Rajji, lead author of the study and Head of Neurodevelopment and Geriatric Psychiatry at CAMH, there are many possibilities now: “In people with Alzheimer’s disease, can we recover the plasticity of the? frontal lobes, and will this lead to improved memory? And for people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, can we improve plasticity to prevent the disease from breaking out? “
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