A treatment method used for pulling heavy metals from the body may be able to reduce memory loss in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to recent research.

A study published in the journal Chemical Science found that a form of chelation – which is the chemical removal of heavy metals like iron or mercury – appears to work better when a dye is added. The technique was tested in laboratory rodents with degenerative neural disorders.

The group, composed of scientists from the U.S. and Canada, said that it is already well known that chelation may be able to pull some harmful metal ions from brain tissue. However, many chelation chemical do not bond well to neural tissue.

As a solution to this problem, the study’s authors reported mixing chelating agents with thioflavin, a dye used to mark certain cell types.

They said that this combination helped the agents cross the blood-brain barrier, making it easier to remove heavy metals from cerebral tissue.

The team concluded that future research may yield targeted chelation therapies that remove harmful toxins from human brains and potentially mitigate memory loss and mental impairment.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.