By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 8, 2013

Researchers for years have been on a tantalizing quest to developa drug to slow age-related memory loss.

Biochemical researchers from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University say memory loss with aging is a biological process associated with brain subunits and neurotransmitters areas and substances that could be replaced or revived with drug, nutritional or genetic therapy.

For example, if you forget where you put your car keys and you cant seem to remember things as well as you used to, the problem may well be with the GluN2B subunits in NMDA receptors.

These brain regions help you remember things, but youve been losing them almost since the day you were born, and its only going to get worse. An old adult may have only half as many of them as a younger person.

Research on these biochemicals is making it clear that cognitive decline with age is a natural part of life, and scientists are tracking the problem down to highly specific components of the brain.

Separate from some more serious problems like dementia and Alzheimers disease, virtually everyone loses memory-making and cognitive abilities as they age. The process is well under way by the age of 40 and picks up speed after that.

But of considerable interest: It may not have to be that way.

These are biological processes, and once we fully understand what is going on, we may be able to slow or prevent it, said neuroscientistKathy Magnusson, Ph.D.

There may be ways to influence it with diet, health habits, continued mental activity or even drugs.

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