"Zinc, It's More Important than You Think: Its Role in Memory, Alzheimer's Disease and Macular Degeneration"

Jane Flinn, George Mason University

Zinc is an essential element in the body. Zinc is found in the brain, with the highest concentrations in the hippocampus, a structure involved in learning and memory. Zinc is found in the amyloid plaques seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease, and in mouse models of AD. The drusen seen in the eyes of those with age related macular degeneration also contains high levels of zinc. In contrast, those who have prostate cancer have abnormally low levels of zinc in the prostate. We have shown that zinc in the drinking water can cross the blood brain barrier and produce impairments in memory, although these may be due in part to the fact that enhanced levels of dietary zinc cause copper deficiency. Zinc is often detected in biological tissues by fluorescent stains which only detect free or loosely bound zinc. Data we have obtained using SXRF, which measures total zinc (free and bound), demonstrate the presence of zinc in plaques, drusen, and in the prostate. Also, I will present data showing changes in spatial memory and fear conditioning, which are seen in rats and mice raised on zinc, or zinc plus copper, in the drinking water.