Having to watch your elderly loved one living with a degenerative cognitive condition, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, is not easy. Thanks to scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the UCLA Easton Laboratories, a grain of hope was given to seniors and their loved ones. For the first time ever, they have given an answer to the question, “Can memory loss due to Alzheimer’s be reversed?” According to the team of scientists, it is possible to reverse the process of memory loss. Prior to their discovery, it was believed that the process can only be slowed down or halted temporarily.
The scientists came to their conclusion after tests were conducted on ten patients that had some type of cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s. Their therapeutic program had 36 levels, which included medicines, exercises, brain stimulation activities, diet changes, and sleep patterns. The program lasted for a couple of years, and all patients showed improvement in their memory.
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The author of this study, Dr. Dale Bredesen confirmed that the tests they conducted after the initial trials were over showed that the memory state of their patients went from abnormal to normal. He gave an example of a 66-year-old test subject whose memory was in the 17th percentile among seniors of his age. When he completed Dr. Bredsden’s program, his hippocampal volume skyrocketed up to the 75th percentile. Another patient, aged 69, had lived with memory loss for eleven years. After the completion of this program, he was able to solve mathematical equations and even recognize his old coworkers.
The results of this study are fantastic, but it was conducted on only a small sample. They plan to expand the program to more people from different demographics. Despite this, the impact it had on the scientific world and people who have dementia or Alzheimer’s is immeasurable. So if you’re still asking whether memory loss due to Alzheimer’s can be reversed, the answer is yes. Yes it can.
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