Blocking Neurotransmitters
There may be ways to either block the formation or increase the destruction of other naturally occurring toxic chemicals and neurotransmitters, which include nitric oxide, n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), and glutamate. Studies with glutamate antagonists have been unsuccessful in clinical trials of patients with dementia, and fiddling with NMDA receptor function can be dangerous because of the risk of seizures.
Part of the problem is that we currently do not have a complete understanding of how exactly these chemicals and neurotransmitters work in the brain, and what impact they have on
memory processes. As research evolves, compounds that can better target the right neurotransmitter sites within the brain will be developed.
Genetic Strategies: There Is No “Memory Gene”
The more we learn about the brain, the more it becomes clear that there is no single “memory gene” that holds the key. A complex web of interacting genes, chemicals, and neurotransmitters is involved in an intricate dance to keep our brains ticking along accurately, and at the right pace.
Genetics is the holy grail of new technology in medicine. There is a lot of hype, which reaches a crescendo with every breakthrough, be it the cloning of sheep or a new treatment for breast cancer. But in my view, the hype is justified. An incredible number of diseases are primarily genetic in origin, and we have little to no idea as to how to treat them, except for therapies that treat the symptoms but not the disease itself. As our knowledge about human genetic structure and function
grows, more and more genetically engineered treatments will emerge. Eventually, some of our science fiction fantasies will be transformed into human reality.
A large part of the human genome, or genetic map, focuses on controlling protein synthesis within the brain. As of now, we do not know which genes are responsible for triggering the process of
neuronal degeneration and death in the hippocampus and frontal lobes, or for that matter any other part of the brain. It is likely that we all possess both ‘‘good memory genes” and “bad memory genes,” and once we discover them we will be able to directly tackle the problem of age-related memory loss that affects most of us as we grow older.
Taken From: The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss
and Enhance Memory Power
