Memories lost to Alzheimer's disease could in theory be retrieved, a study suggests.

The "proof-of-concept" research, conducted on mice, showed stimulating nerve cells to grow new connections could "retrieve" memories.

Published in the journal Nature, the study raises the possibility of future treatments that reverse memory loss in early stages of the disease.

The study

Although the same technique cannot be used in humans, the study points the way to future memory-retrieving therapies, say the researchers.

Lead scientist Professor Susumu Tonegawa, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, said the important point was "even if a memory seems to be gone, it is still there", adding "it's a matter of how to retrieve it."

Dr Simon Ridley, science director at Alzheimer's Research UK warns there is a "long way to go" to understand how the process could work in humans.