PARIS: Degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimers, could one day be treated with drugs that can reverse distressing loss of memory, according to a study released on Sunday.

The very term “memory loss” could be a misnomer in such cases, suggests the study, published in British journal Nature: that cherished recollection of a first kiss, seemingly destroyed by disease, may have simply been rendered inaccessible by obstructed neural pathways.

In laboratory experiments, mice suffering the type of brain damage which in humans typically leads to dementia -- robbing victims of the ability to remember past events or even to recognize loved ones -- were able to recover memories acquired during earlier conditioning, according to the study carried out by researchers at the Massechusetts Institute of Technology.

Following a period of rehabilitation through mental stimulation, the genetically modified mice successfully performed tasks they had “forgotten” in the wake of damage inflicted on the specific neural networks in the brain.

While there is no guarantee that the same techniques will work in humans, the study does raise “the possibility of recovering long-term memories in patients” ravaged by certain neurological disorders.—AFP