Electrical stimulation of the brain can reduce the manifestations of depression, bring patients out of a vegetative state, and even reduce the effects of Parkinson's disease. Recently, a group of scientists from Boston University demonstrated a technique that can restore the working memory of 70-year-olds so much that it begins to work like 20-year-olds. It is noteworthy that the technique does not require the implantation of electrodes directly into the patient's brain - stimulation is carried out through the scalp.
The group was determined to improve the working memory of older adults from the beginning, and was led by neuroscientist Rob Reinhart. Particular attention was paid to working memory, which allows you to remember the information that is necessary when performing a specific task. For example, it turns on when a person remembers a list of groceries to buy, searches for car keys, or makes some other decision.
As Reinhart says, working memory begins to weaken after the age of 20, as different areas of the brain begin to disintegrate and lose connection with each other. By the time they reach 70 years of age, these gaps become so large that the decline in cognitive ability becomes most noticeable.
It turned out that electrical stimulation of the brain helps to restore the synchronous work of its various parts. In particular, we are talking about theta rhythms, which eventually lose their synchrony, which leads to a deterioration in working memory.
During the task, the young brain (left) shows activity, while the older one (middle) remains inactive. After stimulation, the older brain is activated in the same area as the younger one.
To prove the effectiveness of electrical stimulation, the researchers put together a group of volunteers between the ages of 20 and 60. They were given the task to view the image, pause, look at the second and name how it differs from the first. Unsurprisingly, young people did a much better job at this task than older people. However, stimulation for 25 minutes helped improve working memory by as much as 50 minutes. It is noteworthy that it improved even in young people.
After finding that stimulation could make the working memory of older adults as effective as those of 20-year-olds, the researchers decided to further study brain stimulation. In the future, they intend to study more closely its effects on the brain in Alzheimer's disease.
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Ramis Ganiev