A study with AC transcranial stimulation on over 65s led to improved short-term and long-term memory performance. The test was to remember a list of 20 words a day for four days
Stimulate certain specific brain areas with weak electrical impulses seems able to improve performance of both short-term and long-term memory. An improvement that persists even for several weeks.
20 words a day, the proof
the result of a study carried out on 150 subjects over 65 and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience by Robert Reinhart, neurocognitive scientist at Boston University of Massachusetts, and his collaborators. To evaluate the effect on memory of this specific type of electrical stimulation – call Transcranial stimulation with alternating current (tACS) – the researchers asked the participants to try for four consecutive days to remember twenty words read aloud by an experimenter, also verifying its permanence in memory in subsequent times. In the meantime, the subjects were subjected to electrical stimulation, but in some cases it was a simulated stimulation and this system made it possible to grasp the differences induced by the real stimulation. The best results were obtained precisely with the subjects who were basically in the memory conditions more compromised.
The two memories in our life
Specifically, the study found that stimulation of the brain area called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – near the forehead – improved long-term memory, while stimulation of the lower parietal lobe improved short-term memory.
Short-term memory temporarily holds a limited amount of information, approximately six or seven elements, such as a short shopping list or the digits of a telephone number. Short-term memory is part of the working memorythe temporary maintenance of the information needed to carry out specific cognitive tasks.
Long-term memory, theoretically unlimited, is more durablebut his memories also fade or vanish, mainly due to the arrival of new information. Long-term memory includes both life events and knowledge of the world in general, such as the use of objects and the rules of society.
An antidote for memory loss
the first time electrical stimulation through the skull leads to such dramatic results in improving memory in older people. However, several issues still need to be addressed. In fact, there are different types of memory and it is therefore necessary to understand which type is more sensitive to this stimulation. Also, although it is a type of stimulation that can be repeated apparently without negative consequences of another kind, andr persistence evaluated of the improvement obtained, and it is necessary to understand if the stimulation can actually be useful also for people suffering from dementia. The authors of the research also explained what could be the mechanism of functioning of the electrical impulses in question: Neuroscience has already identified the brain circuits and networks responsible for memory capacities. And several studies have suggested that the rhythmic activity of these cognitive circuits may be important for the coordination of information processing. Now there is a need for non-invasive technologies capable of isolating and increase the rhythmic activity of these neuronal circuits, a bit like in healthy aging models. The goal try to protect memory functions in the elderly or even increase them quickly and practically.
August 24, 2022 (change August 24, 2022 | 12:46)
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