Reversing Age-Related Decline in Working Memory

Higher cognitive functions, such as working memory and the ability to focus attention, decline as people age. Recently, it has been reported that decline in working memory in aging rhesus monkeys correlates with the loss of activity of a specific set of neurons in the prefrontal cortex during a delay following a learning cue. The activity of these neurons can be rescued by stimulating alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, inhibiting cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling, or closing potassium channels that are known to inhibit firing and synaptic connectivity. Agents that stimulate neurons expressing alpha-2 adrenergic receptors may prove useful in treating working memory loss in humans.