The drug erythropoietin (EPO), whose ability to increase blood production has made it the center of several sports doping scandals, turns out to be a memory-enhancing drug. In fact, researchers today announced that it might turn out to help in the treatment of people who suffer from schizophrenia and Alzheimers. Hannelore Ehrenreich of the Max Planck Institute says, “Young mice systematically treated with EPO for three weeks have improved memory, similar to the dramatic improvements observed in endurance and muscular performance athletes who use EPO to boost performance.” [via BioMed Central]
