People often joke that they must have Alzheimer's because they can't remember where they put their keys, but for a person with the disease, this type of short-term memory loss is extremely debilitating.

The loss of short, day-to-day memories is often the first sign of Alzheimer's - a disease that is expected, by the year 2050, to afflict 120 million people worldwide.

To create new memories, the neurons in the brain must manufacture new proteins.
The first step is to open up and read the DNA, which contains instructions for making the proteins. To read the DNA, the neuron attaches a chemical reactive group (acetyls) to the spool around which DNA is tightly wound. The acetyls unwind the DNA to make it more accessible.

The mice with Alzheimer's attached about half as many acetyls to DNA as normal mice and had poorer memory.
The researchers then discovered that an HDAC inhibitor could improve memory in the Alzheimer's-afflicted mice.
This class of compounds, HDAC inhibitors, increase the DNA's spool acetylation and gene transcription.

The drug improved memory performance to the level found in normal mice.


Further information on The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease:
www.j-alz.com/

For further information on the Columbia University Medical Center, seewww.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/taub/

G.G.