Scientists Restore Memory In Aging Mice Scientists have developed a nasal spray that reduces brain inflammation and restores lost memory function in mice. The Texas A&M University research team behind it believes similar results could be seen in people, with further research and development. The spray targets "neuroinflammaging" – small pockets of chronic stress in the aging brain – which is linked to age-related cognitive decline and is thought to play a role in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's. The researchers compare neuroinflammaging to parts of an engine that are always running hot. In the mouse models, the spray targeted these hotspots with millions of microscopic biological bubbles, known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), packed with proteins and genetic instructions and produced from human stem cells. The mice were 18 months old, an age commonly treated as older adulthood in mouse studies, roughly comparable to humans in their late 50s to late 60s. Brain scan The researchers found less inflammation in the brains of treated mice (Aged-EVs) compared to controls (Aged-Veh). (Madhu et al., J. Extracell. Vesicles, 2026) "As we develop and scale this therapy, a simple, two-dose nasal spray could one day replace invasive, risky procedures or maybe even months of medication," says neuroscientist Ashok Shetty. "It's universal. Treatment outcomes were consistent and similar across both sexes." The researchers wanted to focus on microglia (the brain's immune cells) in the hippocampus, a region crucial for memory and learning, where significant neuroinflammation occurs. Using healthy stem cells – which can grow and develop into other cell types – is an approach now being widely investigated for its therapeutic potential. It's also been established that stem cell byproducts, such as EVs, can perform