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How the brain forgets

Scientists have found a molecule that may be too blame for loss of memory as we get older. It raises the tempting prospect of new therapies to
restore memory.

The enzyme helps the brain delete unwanted information. But a team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich believe it may become too active as we get older.

The researchers carried out tests on mice that showed those animals with low levels of the enzyme, called protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), were less
likely to forget what they had learned. It appears that PP1 actively suppresses memories in mice, both during and after a learning exercise. And as the mice get older, the level of PP1 increases.