The loss of social memories caused by sleep deprivation could potentially be reversed using currently available drugs, according to a study in mice presented today (Friday) at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2024. Lack of sleep is known to affect the brain, including memory, in mice and in humans, but research is beginning to show that these memories are not lost, they are just 'hidden' in the brain and difficult to retrieve. The new research shows that access to these otherwise hidden social memories can be restored in mice with a drug currently used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The team of researchers have also shown that another drug currently used to treat erectile dysfunction can restore access to spatial memories. Researchers say these spatial memories in mice are akin to humans remembering where they put their keys the night before, whereas the social memories could be compared with remembering a new person you met. The research was presented by Dr Robbert Havekes from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
He said: "Ever since starting as a PhD student, many years ago, I have been intrigued by the observation that even a single period of sleep deprivation can have a major impact on memory processes and the brain as a whole. The early work published years ago helped us identify some of the molecular mechanisms that mediate amnesia. By manipulating these pathways specifically in the hippocampus, we ha.
