Brain stimulation improves precise memory for 24 hours

A study, published in Current Biology, delves into using noninvasive brain stimulation to improve precise memory.

Using MRI to identify sections of the brain crucial to memory, scientists then stimulated these areas with noninvasive electromagnets to improve the patient’s ability to recall locations. Patients were then given memory tests to prove results.

Researchers concluded that the procedure was able to improve precision memory for 24 hours, while also improving overall brain activity, which could lead to greater understanding of long-lasting effects using noninvasive brain stimulation.

"We show that it is possible to target the portion of the brain responsible for this type of memory and to improve it," said lead author Joel Voss, assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "People with brain injuries have problems with precise memory as do individuals with dementia, and so our findings could be useful in developing new treatments for these conditions. We improved people's memory in a very specific and important way a full day after we stimulated their brains.”