Memories of Alzheimer's patients probed
24 July 2008
 A new study has found that Alzheimer's patients have a better memory than has been earlier presumed. Scientists from the universities at Dundee, Abertay and St Andrews asked people suffering from the disease to define over 30 words.Researchers found that they "struggled" to define simple words but could generate more detailed information when asked "more specific questions".Professor Trevor Harley, from Dundee University, said that is has been previously assumed that Alzheimer's "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," he added."The knowledge isn't always lost, it's just not as accessible."A different recent study found that immune-based treatment using anti-tumour necrosis factor–alpha could improve language skills in Alzheimer's patients.  © Adfero Ltd
© 2008 Adfero Ltd. All rights reserved. Any views and opinions expressed in news articles are not those of Craegmoor Limited and its associated companies. News supplied by Adfero DirectNews.
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