Memory boost for dementia sufferers
July 25th 2008 07:34
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From the Press Association:
People suffering from Alzheimer's disease have a greater memory than was previously thought, psychologists have announced.
Researchers found those affected by the condition could retain knowledge into later stages of the illness, but found it harder to communicate it.
People who had been suffering from Alzheimer's for a few years were asked to define 32 words during the Dundee University-led study.
When they were asked to provide definition of words such as "monkey", "salmon" or "dog", they struggled.
But when they were asked specific questions, such as "is it an animal?" and "how many legs does it have?", many were able to provide answers.
Researchers said the results showed that rather than not retaining the knowledge, the patients had difficulty understanding what was being asked of them.
It is hoped the study findings could lead to the development of new treatments which might help Alzheimer's sufferers retain their memories for longer.
Professor Trevor Harley, dean of the school of psychology at Dundee University, said: "Dementia affects the whole brain and makes access to information harder to retrieve.
"The assumption has been that Alzheimer's disease causes this knowledge to be destroyed.
"However, we found that if you probe the patient in the right way with appropriate questions that support them to search their stored knowledge, they can often generate more detailed information. The knowledge isn't always lost, it's just not as accessible."
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This seems to offer a ray of hope, if you ask me.
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