BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- A U.S. study suggested
that the memory fading with age could be ascribed to the less coordinated brain
systems in healthy people, media reported Thursday.
The study conducted by researchers at Harvard
University aimed to understand the difference between aging and Alzheimer's
disease.
In the study, researchers divided subjects into two
groups: the group of subjects aging 60 and over, and the one of subjects aging
35 and younger.
Brain scans were done to detect the presence of
amyloid, a chemical typically associated with Alzheimer's disease, to rule out
those whose memory declines were disease-related.
The results showed that the disruption of white
matter conduits, which carry information between different regions of the brain,
only happend in the older group.
The damage of these conduits can disturb the
information processing of the brain which causes memory and other cognitive
abilities to go soft.
But the researchers said not everyone was impaired to
the same degree."Some brains may be better prepared for the assault of
Alzheimer's disease," said Randy Buckner, a Harvard professor and Howard Hughes
Medical Institute researcher who worked on the study.
This may help explain why some people who develop
Alzheimer's disease succumb quickly and others decline more slowly.
(Agencies)