“Hidden” memory system may give boost to people with Alzheimer’s
As a child, when grandpa doesn’t know who you are anymore, it’s confusing and disappointing. As an adult, when your mother can no longer talk about familiar family lore like Aunt Christina’s wedding or Uncle Jed’s wartime experiences, the loss is palpable, like a part of yourself is gone.
Gillian Rowe, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, is looking at ways to help people hang on to those precious family histories, and the faces and names of beloved family members. To support her work, she has been awarded the 2009 Firefly Spark Award, a joint research funding initiative of Firefly and the Alzheimer Society of Ontario. The innovative new award gives a researcher funds to investigate beyond conventional science with the goal of preventing or slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.
Gillian’s earlier studies with healthy older adults have shown how our two memory systems work together. The explicit system holds the memories of people and events. The implicit system holds hidden or “process” memories.
Think of it this way. Do you ever wander around looking for your car keys? Struggle to think of the right word? Can’t recall what you had for lunch? The reality is that as you get older, some forgetfulness is natural. The fact that you know you can’t remember is actually using the hidden implicit memory system.
Finding out how these two systems work together could be good news for people with Alzheimer’s or other diseases that impair memory. While their problems with remembering the names of friends and family are obvious and amplified, using the unimpaired implicit memory system to shore up the faltering explicit system may actually help them remember longer.
In Gillian’s previous testing with healthy older adults, participants looked at simple line drawings on a computer screen and identified when one of the drawings was repeated exactly. Superimposed on the pictures were words or random letters. Participants were told to ignore the words and concentrate on the task, but later, they were often able to use those words to solve a problem, even though they couldn’t remember seeing them.
“It’s possible to stare at something and not notice it if you’re not paying attention to it,” Gillian explains. “But the information is processed and becomes part of our implicit memory system. We’re not aware that we’ve taken it in and processed it, but it’s there, and, under the right circumstances, can be beneficial at a later time.”
With the financial support of the Spark award, Gillian plans to use the same testing method to verify that using the implicit systems will also work with people with critical memory impairment. Early results are promising. People with mild cognitive impairment are definitely using the implicitly presented information.
And the real benefit? Gillian is planning to put the research results to work in a practical application that will help people with Alzheimer’s disease recall personal events or what they will do in the future, such as taking medication. “That’s the exciting part of the research,” Gillian says. “Knowing that we can use the results to help people with memory impairment reminisce with their families about past events in their lives has a twofold benefit. Not only does it help the person with the disease retain memory as long as possible, but it also improves the quality of life of family members, who can be involved in the reminiscing.”
The goal of Firefly is to inspire young people to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, take care of their brains and become advocates for the cause. Gillian is passionate about including younger people and family members in the research as soon as possible. Because of their direct family connection with the disease, they are at higher risk of developing dementia. Starting early with preventative measures could help reduce that risk. “Evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease develops for a long time before symptoms show,” Gillian says. “Improving the memory systems of high risk people while they’re young might reduce the possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease and keep their memories going for as long as possible.”
In fact, Gillian urges younger caregivers to become involved in the care of family members with the disease and educate themselves about early strategies and interventions. Brain games on the market may work for those who enjoy them. But the best advice is to keep your mind active with novel activities that will engage you, from playing bridge to learning to play an instrument.
Gillian will begin her two-year research program in September 2009 at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.
Firefly is a registered charity that funds education and research to wipe out Alzheimer’s and help your brain last a lifetime.
With a network of 39 Chapters across the province, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario offers Help for Today through programs and services for people living with dementia and Hope for Tomorrow… by funding research to find the cause and the cure.
