CMC'S NEWS' REVIEW (XII)

Catching ZZZs may

retrieve lost memories

                                                                                20-5-2015

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SCIENTIFIC SHIELD:  BODY & HEALTH,  ANIMALS, GENETICS

SUMMARY:

Sleep can restore memories in forgetful fruit flies, new data show. This raises hope that some extra ZZZs might also help people with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders.

For a series of new experiments, researchers altered the genes of fruit flies. This caused various types of memory problems in the bugs. But the flies could get their memories back. All they needed was some solid snooze time.

The researchers used flies with gene changes, known as mutations. In one series of experiments they used different methods to get their flies to sleep more. One way was to drug the flies. The sleep that followed left these formerly befuddled flies sharper than ever. In a test of short-term memory, these flies better remembered to avoid an area treated with a nasty chemical (quinine).

CRITICAL APPRAISAL:

By reading this article, I have realised that something as a fly can overcome memory losses and humans, the most complex organism can't. If the scientist Paul Shawn and his colleagues could take out the gen that makes possible the memory recovering they could save thousands of old people of cruel diseases as Alzheimer.

Even though insects and people are different. That means the fly research doesn’t necessarily apply to us. Still, dozing fruit flies act a lot like people. Sleeping flies hold very still. Snoozing flies are hard to wake up.

Right now, there's no tratment for Alzheimer so it seems that sleeping and taking some steps are  the best option. Those steps can include getting more exercise and consuming less caffeine (which can make it hard to fall asleep).

GLOSSARY:

Alzheimer’s disease  An incurable brain disease that can cause confusion, mood changes and problems with memory, language, behavior and problem solving. No cause or cure is known.

caffeine  A stimulant, which activates the nervous system and heart. The leaves, seeds and fruits of many plants contain caffeine. In coffee plants and tea bushes, caffeine acts as a natural pesticide. It will kill or harm insects that attempt to dine on the plant. Caffeine is also toxic to some types of plants, bacteria — even frogs and dogs.

fruit flies  Tiny flies belonging to the species Drosophila melanogaster. Scientists often use these short-lived animals as a “guinea pig” for lab studies because they are easy to grow, can mature into adults in a short time and their bodies share many of the same traits and responses as more complex animals — including mammals.

mutation  Some change that occurs to a gene in an organism’s DNA. Some mutations occur naturally. Others can be triggered by outside factors, such as pollution, radiation, medicines or something in the diet. A gene with this change is referred to as a mutant.

quinine  A bitter compound derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. Quinine has been used since the 1600s to treat malaria. It is also used as a flavoring agent in tonic water.