Electric current to the brain boosts older people's short-term memory!

Updated on August 23, 2022 10:00 AM by Ella Bina

According to a study by a team at Boston University published in Nature Neuroscience, sending electrical currents into two parts of the brain known for storing and recalling information boosted the immediate recall of words in people over 65. The important thing is that stimulating the brain with small amounts of electrical current is safe and can also improve memory. More exploration of the use of bioelectronics approaches in disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Boosting brain change!

The brain is capable of plasticity and can reorganize its structure, connections, or functions throughout life. Transcranial alternating current stimulation attempts to enhance the brain's functionality with a device that applies wavelike electric currents to specific brain areas through electrodes on the scalp. The changes in brainwave activity help stimulate the growth and change in the brain's neural networking. Use magnetic fields called Transcranial magnetic stimulation approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat depression.

Brain cells are activated at specific time points as defined by the electrical stimulation frequency. The plasticity process is the consequence of changing the timings at which brain cells activate. The plasticity allows the effects to be carried forward in time even if the stimulation is ended.

Fading memories!

Researchers from Boston University analyzed slightly on longer-term and short-term memory as they worked on two experiments with randomized groups of 20 people ages 65 to 88. The experiments alternated between applying gamma waves at 60 hertz and waves at 4 hertz to two brain centers, playing a key role.

About the brain waves!

Gamma is the shortest and fastest brainwave frequency that operates between 30 and 80 hertz per second. Some of the brain waves clocked up to 100 hertz. A brain in gamma waves is fully engaged. Theta waves are slower, ranging between four and eighty cycles per second. People are in theta mode when brushing their teeth or hair, driving to work without thinking about the route, and even daydreaming.

Related: Zapping the brain with electricity shown to boost older people’s short- and long-term memory

Memory areas of the brain!

The first experiment was made by one group, as they received high-frequency gamma waves to their prefrontal cortex that sits behind the eyes and the forehead. The prefrontal lobe assists in storing long-term memories. Another group of 20 people receives low-frequency theta stimulation to the parietal cortex, a brain area. The parietal cortex is above the hippocampus, another part of the brain that plays a major role in learning and memory.

The final 20 people are in a sham process to serve as a control group. Sessions occurred for four consecutive days where each person took five 20-word recall tests during the daily stimulation. They were asked to recall as many words as they could.

The final result of the stimulation!

The experiment of brain stimulation under a set of people was done in three ways. The result showed that 17 of the 20 people who received high-frequency gamma stimulation improved their ability to recall words from the beginning of the word test. 18 of the 20 Participants underwent low-frequency theta stimulation to improve short-term working memory. The people who received sham stimulation translated to the older individuals recalling an average of four to six words out of the list of 20.

The study reveals significant improvement in short-term memory as it does not show clear effects on a long-term memory as the test was based on word recall. A person would recall from an hour ago is long-term stimulation.

Personalized treatment!

There are no benefits in a second experiment; that is, the areas of the brain received the theta and gamma stimulation. In the third experiment, people were done verifying the previous result. The result showed that low-frequency theta currents improved short-term working memory for one month while higher-frequency gamma stimulation did not. You can improve short-term or long-term memory based on the spatial location and the stimulation frequency. Limited cognitive aging treatments affect tens of millions of people, so this is a hopeful step to address symptoms and improve brain health.