Sit, stay, regrow brain cells

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, the saying goes, but a bunch of old dogs in Irvine may be teaching us a few new tricks about controlling memory loss.

For five years, UC Irvine medical researcher Elizabeth Head has studied aging in the brain. Her work is part of a growing body of research suggesting that a diet rich in certain vitamins and other compounds can repair memory loss and improve learning capabilities.

In a study of beagles between the ages of 8 and 12, Head tested the dogs’ ability to keep and make memories.

“These dogs naturally develop brain pathology similar to ours and develop learning and memory problems,” Head said.

All of the dogs were given a senior diet complete in proteins and carbohydrates. The test group received added vitamin E, C and the nutritional compounds.

“The additional antioxidant components were added into the senior-dog diet so that each piece of kibble contained the vitamins, fruits and vegetables, lipoic acid and carnitine,” Head said, referring to two antioxidants.

The food was intended to reduce damage to brain tissue through oxidation.

“We hypothesized that part of the problem was due to oxidation damage in the brain,” Head said. “Free radicals deteriorate cells by oxidizing proteins and DNA. This is just part of the normal aging of a human body.”

Head surmised that natural supplements and chemical compounds in the dogs’ diets could repair damage and improve memory retention.

“Our cells have enzymes that can repair damage, but with age we lose that ability,” she said.

The research team spent a year learning about the dogs’ individual habits and memory troubles prior to conducting the study.

Head discovered that in the dogs given the compounds, brain cells not only deteriorated more slowly but also repaired themselves, in a sense becoming younger.

With people living longer than ever, such research is becoming increasingly important.

Another UCI researcher, Frank LaFerla, notes that with more people living past 65, the possibility for health problems also increases.

“One unfortunate aspect or consequence of people living longer is the incidence of Alzheimer’s goes up dramatically,” LaFerla said.

“Any kind of intervention we can identify ? even as simple as modifying diet ? if it could delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, it will have tremendous value for our society,” LaFerla said.

Also finding hope in Head’s research is Joyce Lowder, director of communications for the Alzheimer’s Assn. Orange County Chapter.

“Each time there is another study it’s another cog in the wheel getting us where we want to be,” Lowder said.

Although Head’s research focused on the brain, she feels confident that the implications of the treatment should not be limited to the brain.

“In theory it could work for any part of the body, and it probably does,” she said. dpt.25-boomers-CPhotoInfoGI1PA7FS20060325iwno6bknDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Elizabeth Head, right, and lab assistant Mihaela Nistor work on research at UC Irvine. A recent study showed that diet could regrow brain cells in older dogs.