[Breakthrough] Scientists Improved Adults’ Memory Using Electrical Stimulation

Researchers have always tried to enhance people’s memory. And the breakthrough is lately, for the first time, scientists from the Northwestern University have successfully improved adult people’s memory using electrical stimulation.


Adults' Memory Improved By Electrical Stimulation

The researchers from Northwestern University have shown that they can enhance memory without surgery or drugs. They have boosted adults’ memory by using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) – a non-invasive process that involves zapping a patient’s head with an electrical current using magnetic pulses in order to stimulate specific regions in the brain. According to one of the test subjects, the painless procedure feels like a “small knocking sensation.”

Note that, in the past, researchers had used TMS to temporarily improve performance during a test, but this is the first study to show that memory can be improved for at least 24 hours after stimulation. This is, undoubtedly, not only a breakthrough useful for improving the memories of healthy humans, but also it could help treat people suffering from memory loss following stroke or Alzheimer’s.

Joel Voss, one of the researchers said in a press release, “We show for the first time that you can specifically change memory functions of the brain in adults without surgery or drugs, which have not proven effective. This non-invasive stimulation improves the ability to learn new things. It has tremendous potential for treating memory disorders.”

Researchers have published their findings in the journal Science Magazine where they have explained that memory, like a symphony orchestra, is made up of different parts of the brain, and the electrical stimulation is like introducing a more talented conductor. And the brain regions can perform better after stimulation. Here’s a video for you.

Source: EurekAlert

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Anatol

Anatol Rahman is the Editor at TheTechJournal. He loves complicated machineries, and crazy about robot and space. He likes cycling. Before joining TheTechJournal team, he worked in the telemarketing industry. You can catch him on Google+.

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