Tuesday, April 5, 2011

DOCTOR, DOCTOR, I FORGET WHY I CAME. CAN YOU CURE THIS?

 

Doctor-Consultation 

A team at Glasgow's CPS Research is seeking a cure for forgetfulness -- as in, not early signs of Alzheimer's, not early-onset dementia, but plain old absent-mindedness.

"What we are referring to should not be confused with the serious memory loss that is often associated with early onset dementia," CPS Research's Dr. Alan Wade told the BBC last month. "This study is aimed at those who are constantly losing their keys, forgetting people's names or misplacing their glasses rather than anything more serious."

Wade and colleagues are set to launch a study testing whether a smaller dose of the Alzheimer's drug memantine can help tamp down a condition they've given the name "Busy Lifestyle Syndrome".

"We commit such errors at least hourly, all of us do. I can count up the number of things I've done just today," says Dr. David Knopman, a Mayo Clinic neurologist in Rochester, Minn. "Unlike walking, or chewing gum, memory is a function that is far from perfect in humans. And it's often terribly imperfect."

Knopman says. "Memantine is a drug that’s approved for the treatment for moderate to severe Alzheimer's. It’s never been tested on a large scale in normal people." But before you rush out and buy some, Knopman adds "There is NO EVIDENCE."

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