University of Virginia researchers link Alzheimer's to social memory loss

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a potential reason why individuals with Alzheimer's disease lose the ability to recognize loved ones. According to a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia (A&D), the loss of social memory may be linked to the degradation of perineuronal nets.

These specialized structures, composed of an extracellular matrix, surround CA2 neurons in the hippocampus and help maintain connections between nerve cells. This process is essential for forming and retaining new memories, including those related to recognizable people. In mouse models, damage to these networks resulted in an inability to distinguish between familiar individuals, even while memory for specific objects remained intact.

Lead researcher Harald Sonthjem noted that protecting these structures in the early stages of the disease could slow or prevent the loss of social memory in humans. While experimental treatments in rodents showed promise in preserving recognition abilities, further research is required before these methods can be applied to human patients.