Scientists improve memory with electrical stimulation

Stimulation of certain areas of the brain inin some situations, it can improve their performance. Previously, we talked about the fact that with the help of an electrical stimulator that affected a certain part of the brain, scientists managed to cure a woman from depression, which was not amenable to drug treatment. But is it possible to improve the cognitive functions of the brain by exposure to electricity, for example, in old age, make the brain work the same way as in a young one? This is exactly the question asked by scientists at Boston University, and conducted an experiment with volunteers aged 65 to 88 years.

Scientists have been able to improve the memory of older people with the help of electrical brain stimulation

How to improve memory with electricity

As the researchers report in NatureNeuroscience, the volunteers were tasked with memorizing 20 words and repeating them periodically at different intervals. At the same time, the brain of some people was pre-stimulated
alternating current using transcranialelectrical stimulation. This stimulation does not require surgery, as weak electrical currents are sent to the brain through electrodes that are applied to the head. That is, electricity passes through the skin and skull.

Thus, the authors of the work influenced twoareas of the cerebral cortex. And for each used alternating current of different frequencies. It should be clarified that each area of ​​the cortex has its own frequency at which neurons operate. However, these frequencies decrease with age, which may be the reason for memory loss. The idea of ​​the experiment was to make the neurons fire at the same frequency they had at a young age.

The experiment involved people aged 65 to 88 years.

The experiment turned out to be successful.After stimulation, memory improved by 50-65%. Moreover, the effect was quite long - it lasted up to a month. The greatest effectiveness of this method was recorded in people who suffered most from memory problems.

What type of memory improved electrical stimulation

The authors of the work stimulated the lower parietal andprefrontal cortex. Parietal stimulation improved working memory. This is the memory with which the brain works in real time. Information is stored in it for a short time, and new information in it deletes the previous one. It can be compared to the RAM of a computer.

He spoke about the improved performance of working memorythe fact that the participants in the experiment remembered better the words that were at the end of the list, that is, which people heard at the end. After stimulation of the prefrontal cortex, long-term memory improved. Accordingly, people remembered words that were at the top of the list better.

Brain stimulation improved working and long-term memory

For the purity of the experiment, some volunteersThey put electrodes on their heads and pretended to stimulate the brain. But the “placebo” effect did not happen, that is, the memory of such people did not improve. This is to be expected, since the placebo effect cannot improve the cognitive functions of the brain. You can learn more about how it works here.

Scientists can treat age-related memory problems?

It must be said that various scientists have repeatedlyhave already carried out similar studies. However, based on their results, it was difficult to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of this method. The researchers conducted this study in such a way that there can be no doubt about the effectiveness of electrical stimulation.

Electrical stimulation may be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

It must be said that all the volunteers did not haveAlzheimer's disease. They had only age-related memory impairment. But, it is quite possible that electrical stimulation can improve the condition of people with this disease. To verify this, scientists will have to conduct additional research.

But, in any case, the employees of the BostonThe university has achieved excellent results. If the effectiveness of electrical stimulation can be confirmed, the problem of age-related memory loss will be solved. Most importantly, this does not require large expenditures. Every elderly person can go for a similar procedure, for example, once a month.

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It must be said that recently scientistsachieved significant results in terms of the study of the brain. Moreover, we recently talked about the fact that scientists managed to create an “artificial brain” from stem cells, which will help in the study of a number of diseases and ways to treat them.