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Chew on this and keep your memory WebPosted Wed Mar 8 17:19:52 2000 - LONDON - Elderly people wanting to hold onto their memory should chew, according to a study published in New Scientist magazine. Scientists at the Gifu University School of Medicine in Japan believe chewing stimulates the brain and helps it retain memory — but they're not sure how. As people age, the cells in the hippocampus area of the brain, which is key for learning, usually start to deteriorate. Short-term memory declines as a result. But, using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers discovered that chewing helps stop this. They studied the brain activity of humans and found the jaw movements increased activity in the hippocampus area. The scientists also studied mice that were genetically altered to develop the signs of human aging. Their teeth were removed to prevent chewing. In memory tests, they did not perform as well as similar mice with teeth intact. The findings suggest that chewing is important in preserving the ability to form memories in old age. Joyce Wau, a specialist in aging at the Molecular Medicine Centre at Edinburgh University, thinks that chewing improves our memories by reducing stress. People, she says, often chew gum to help with stress relief. Copyright 2000 CBC All Rights Reserved http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/03/08/chewing000308 janet paterson 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ 613 256 8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario Canada K0A 1A0