Injecting Spinal Fluid From Younger Mice Improves Memory in Elders, Scientists Say

Young mice have spinal fluid that makes them smarter than their elders.

A new study published in the journal Nature details how, when injected withCSF from their younger counterparts, older mice appear to gain better memory recall.

The study involved mice who were a few years old, and that's quite old in mouse terms, and the scientists injected them with either realCSF or placebo.

The older mice were conditioned to associate a light with a shock. The researchers found that the mice that were injected with the real stuff performed better on the shock test when they froze in response to the flashing light. The mice that were injected with the artificial CSF solution performed better than the control group, who received no injections at all.

According to the study, the mice that received the youngCSF were better able to produce new oligodendrocytes, a complicated type of neurological cell that helps insulate brain neurons. The researchers theorize that the production of myelin will be aided by those oligodendrocytes.

Oligodendrocytes are unique because their progenitors are still present in large numbers in the aged brain, but they are very slow in responding to signals that promote their differentiation.

Iram said that the finding shouldn't be used as the basis for any kind of declaration about Elizabeth Bathory.

In her own interview with The Scientist, Penn State memory and aging researcher Janine Kwapis echoed that sentiment.

It is unlikely that a single blood transfusion from a young person will have a lasting rejuvenation effect in an older person.

The Penn State researcher said that it provides an interesting and unique pathway compared to much of the literature on memory formation.

Youngsters give old mice a memory boost.

The rich are trying to live forever.