What We're Learning About Animal Memories Could Help Us Crack Alzheimer's

Science has proved that some animals are capable of human-like "episodic" memories of past experience, which could potentially be applied to the treatment of dementia, reports Fast Company . Research by Indiana University's Jonathon Crystal showed rats could recall past experiences, which also withstood interference from other memories. Crystal suggests the rodents' performance on memory tests could gain insights on treating Alzheimer's more effectively. "What's most debilitating in Alzheimer's . . . is episodic memory," Crystal notes. "So we're trying to develop models in rats that more closely mimic that." Such research is being aided by genetic tools like gene editing. Testing Alzheimer's therapies on rats whose episodic memories have been stolen would give researchers a better idea of a drug's effectiveness in humans, before moving on to costly and often fruitless clinical trials.