New Research About Improving Memory
A new study came out this month about the memory benefits of noninvasive stimulation. As someone who uses this technique every day in my office, I’m thrilled to see more coverage of the latest science.
The journal Nature Neuroscience published a piece about a study that concluded that “the plasticity of the aging brain can be selectively and sustainably exploited using repetitive and highly focalized neuromodulation grounded in spatiospectral parameters of memory-specific cortical circuitry.” Or, to simplify the language, elderly people can see at least month-long memory benefits from non-invasive electrical stimulation of specific parts of the brain.
In a randomized, double-blind study, elderly people with transcranial brain stimulation experienced significantly higher scores on memory tests. This study used 150 elderly participants who performed an 18-minute recall task involving the memorization of twenty words. Focused stimulation of 2 areas using a form fitting cap occurred while participants did the tasks for a four-day period. Memory benefits were noted immediately after the 4 stimulation sessions and also at follow up, a month later. Perhaps the most hopeful finding, “Individuals with lower baseline cognitive function experienced larger, more enduring memory improvements.”
As I’ve worked with my own patients, I’ve seen encouraging improvements in memory, and this study did not come as a surprise. Research continues to show new ways that electrical stimulation can help brain function.
An article in the Wall Street Journal about this study quoted Joel Voss, a University of Chicago professor of neurology as saying that this “adds to the growing evidence that noninvasive stimulation mimicking the rhythmic brain activity that supports cognition can improve memory” in this population.
“The results remained consistent even when the participants’ ages, sex and education levels were taken into account, the researchers said, adding that additional studies were needed to determine how long the memory improvements could last.”
–Wall Street Journal
In time, we’ll learn more about well tolerated interventions like this low-intensity electrical stimulation can help us maintain more youthful brains as we age.
If you think that low-intensity electrical stimulation may be for you, contact us to schedule a consultation.