Although it's not supposed to give anyone ideas for human testing, a report by Reuters had announced that scientists had found a way to switch off certain genes related to Alzheimer's disease. They found out that by turning off a certain gene, called Cdk5, they were also able to make experimental mice smarter.

These researchers were in the process of finding a cure for memory problems, when they stumbled upon genetic engineering techniques that would allow them to switch certain genes on and off.

Cdk5, a gene that determines the production of an enzyme that is reputably linked to Alzheimer's, was one of those that they could turn off.

And what's more, the mice that did have Cdk5 turned off became better at tasks based on associated learning. Dr. James Bibb of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said, "It's the most important kind of learning in the animal kingdom. It's how we know where our car is and that is our wife or our husband and that's our kids. It's how we connect things."

When placed inside a maze together with ordinary mice, the altered mice performed much better in contrast. "The increase in sensitivity to their surroundings seems to have made them smarter. It was very clear right off the bat that the loss of Cdk5 made them have a much stronger associative memory," said Bibb.