Bioactive compound from the Rhodiola plant improves memory

Rhodiola rosea is a traditional medicinal plant for improving brain function. The researchers discovered the substance FAE-20 to have a memory-enhancing effect. A new approach for dementia research. Credit: Pixabay In an ageing society, more people are suffering from memory disorders. The progressive loss of memory severely impairs the quality of life of those affected. So far, no drugs are known to prevent age-related cognitive decline. For the first time, a study conducted by scientists from the Leibniz Institutes for Neurobiology (LIN) and for Plant Biochemistry (IPB) and published in the journal Science Advances now proves the memory-enhancing effect of a plant ester as an active ingredient from the medicinal plant Rhodiola rosea. Apart from physical exercise, there are no effective strategies to prevent age-related memory loss. In traditional medicine, plant preparations are widely used to enhance memory performance . However, due to fluctuating drug concentrations, these can be inactive or lead to incorrect dosages – especially if the drug is not known at all. In such cases, neither the effects nor the side effects are predictable for the patient or the doctor. Rhodiola rosea, the rosewort plant, has been known for a long time to exert a beneficial effect on mental performance. First author of the study, Dr. Birgit Michels from the LIN, says, "In order to make this knowledge useful for medicine, we wanted to find out which specific substances from Rhodiola improve memory. After all, without an identified active ingredient no targeted dosage and plant breeding, no quality control and therefore no drug development are possible." Rhodiola constituent improves memory performance in old age. Credit: Christina Nath; © Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany Extensive biotests at the LIN in Magdeburg, initially on fly larvae, were combined with phytochemical analyses by scientists at the IPB in […]

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