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Snails may hold key to beating Alzheimer's
Independent, The (London), Jul 16, 2008 by Phil Mills
Scientists hope to unlock the mysteries of the human ageing process, thanks to help from the common pond snail.
A team led by Dr Mark Yeoman, at the University of Brighton, believe the lymnaea stagnalis will also help provide treatments for diseases afflicting the elderly including Alzheimer's.
The research, presented at the British Society for Research on Ageing's annual meeting in Brighton, studied brain functions associated with eating habits. The snails are given flavouring found in pear drop sweets, amyl acetate, plus their normal food, so the creatures get to associate the pear drop taste with feeding. Senile snails forget the association and Dr Yeoman is studying why.
"Find the answer and you are a step closer to discovering why human memory falters," Dr Yeoman said.
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