Damage to the hippocampus causes deficit in memory

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with progressive memory decline. Hippocampal place cells are a well understood candidate for the neural basis of one type of memory in rodents; these cells identify the animal's location in an environment and are crucial for spatial memory and navigation. We have recorded place cells in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. A transgenic mouse model of AD (Tg2576) expresses a human amyloid precursor protein (APP) variant linked to AD, leading to an age-dependent deposition of amyloid plaques. Different cells represent different parts of the environment, and their ensemble firing pattern is believed to provide a cognitive map that supports recognition of different environments and enables the animal to successfully navigate in them. The level of place cell degradation correlates with the animals' (poorer) spatial memory as tested in a forced-choice spatial alternation T-maze task and with hippocampal, but not neocortical, amyloid plaque burden. Place cell recording provides a sensitive assay for measuring the amount and rate of functional deterioration in animal models of dementia as well as providing a quantifiable physiological indication of the beneficial effects of potential therapies. PNAS | June 3, 2008 | vol. 105 | no. 22 | 7863-786

UK doctors told not to recommend omega-3s and plant sterols

The UK National Health Service (NHS) has published guidelines advising doctors not to recommend omega-3 food supplements and plant stanol and sterol functional foods to patients who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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