Targeted cellular reprogramming restores memory in aging mice

Researchers used a brief, targeted OSK gene-therapy to partially reprogram engram neurons—memory traces activated during learning—in aged mice. By activating OSK specifically in hippocampal and prefrontal engrams, they reset aging-related cellular features, restoring both recent and remote memories and improving spatial learning, including in Alzheimer’s-model mice, without disrupting overall brain identity or performing a whole-brain reboot—a proof-of-concept for cognitive rejuvenation.