Brain stimulation used like a scalpel can improve memory

New York, Jan 22 (IANS) Non-invasive brain stimulations can work like a scalpel to improve the precise memory of a human and can also be used as a treatment for those who have memory problem because of brain injury, a new study has found.

Precise memory is critical for knowing details such as the specific colour, shape and location of a building you are looking for, rather than simply knowing the part of town it is in.

Researchers from the Northwestern University found that by stimulating the brain network responsible for spatial memory with powerful electromagnets, the precision of people’s memory for identifying locations improved.

"We show that it is possible to target the portion of the brain responsible for this type of memory and to improve it," said Joel Voss, assistant professor.

The scientists used MRI to identify memory-related brain networks then stimulated them with non-invasive electromagnetic stimulation.

The paper, published in the journal Current Biology, paves the way for developing new treatments for people who have problems with precise memory because of brain injury.