When memory fades: A researcher seeks to understand aging
Inspired by her family’s experience with dementia, graduate student Brieann Brown is exploring how something called epigenetics could protect memory and improve quality of life for future generations.
Brieann Brown, a graduate student in the School of Neuroscience, is tackling one of the most pressing challenges of our time: age-related memory loss and cognitive decline.
With populations living longer than ever, conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are impacting millions of families worldwide. Brown recently received a Diana Jacobs Kalman/AFAR Scholarship for Research in the Biology of Aging through the American Federation for Aging Research to pursue this work.
For Brown, the science is also deeply personal — her great-grandmother battled dementia and her father began showing signs of memory issues in his 40s. Her research focuses on epigenetics — the molecular “switches” that regulate gene activity — to better understand memory loss and explore possible future therapies.
Why is memory such an important focus in aging research? Doesn’t everyone’s memory decline with age?
Yes, everyone experiences some memory decline with age — that’s normal. But for about 70 percent of people, memory problems become serious enough to interfere with daily life. That level of impairment increases the risk for conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia. These illnesses affect millions worldwide, and right now, there are very few effective treatments. By understanding what happens at the molecular level before symptoms appear, we hope to identify ways to intervene earlier.
For readers who aren’t scientists, can you explain what epigenetics means?
Think of DNA as your body’s instruction manual. A mutation is like a permanent typo in that manual. Epigenetics, on the other hand, involves chemical changes that don’t alter the DNA sequence but affect how it’s read — essentially switching genes on or off. These changes are reversible, which makes them exciting as potential targets. My project looks at how epigenetic processes affect memory and aging.
You’ve worked with animal models. What have you discovered so far?
We use aged rodents, which naturally show memory decline similar to older humans. In our experiments, we found that boosting the activity of a certain protein in the hippocampus — a brain region critical for memory — improved memory performance. It also restored levels of gene transcription, the process of making RNA from DNA, which is essential for forming memories. Aging seems to dampen this process and enhancing it can help restore function.
How did you become interested in this research?
Part of it came from my lab’s focus on memory, but it’s also personal. My great-grandmother had Alzheimer’s and eventually no longer recognized family members, which was heartbreaking. More recently, my dad began showing early memory problems in his 40s. Being the “neuroscience person” in the family, I was the one everyone turned to with questions. That experience motivated me to search for real answers — and hopefully better solutions for families like mine.
Beyond potential therapies, are there lifestyle changes that can help protect memory?
Yes, and they’re things people can start today. Sleep is one of the biggest factors — chronic sleep deprivation really damages the brain. Diet and exercise are also important. And research suggests that continuing to learn new things — like playing an instrument or studying a language — builds extra neural connections. That cognitive “reserve” can help people maintain memory longer, even as some neurons are lost.
Ultimately, what’s the big picture goal of your work?
We want to understand how the brain ages at the cellular level. If we can identify what goes wrong — specific genes or proteins — we can explore ways to restore balance, whether through drugs, gene therapies, or other interventions. It’s still early research, but every discovery brings us closer to improving memory and quality of life as people grow older.
