SCI/TECH: Researchers Work on Memory Pill

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Thanks to the neurological research of Nobel laureate Eric Kandel and others, Aplysia's minimal nervous system is helping scientists to make sense of how memory works on the biochemical level. The molecules of memory in sea slugs, it turns out, aren't that different from some of those in humans. They are now one of the many inspirations for drugs that may someday ward off the forgetfulness that plagues so many people as they grow older. As Americans' average age creeps upward, the search for medicines that will keep them sharp is accelerating. "We're all very, very avidly grinding up cells trying to get at the molecules," says Dr. Scott Small of Columbia University Medical Center.

No pill to improve memory, aside from alternative remedies of dubious effectiveness, is currently on the market. But several small biotech companies are launching drugs grounded in the latest research, with a few already in the early stages of clinical trials that could be finished in as little as "two years, if we're lucky," says Kandel, who is now at CUMC and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Some of the most promising candidates have their roots in Aplysia studies. Others take their cues from even more improbable sources like the molecular consequences of smoking, focusing on some of the same receptors that nicotine targets. (Who knew it had benefits?) "These are very exciting times for treating memory loss," says Steven Siegelbaum, a neuroscientist at CUMC and HHMI. And with trials soon to yield results, they're about to get even more exciting.


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