Magnetic Brain Stimulation Could Be the Key to Improving Memory Loss; New Study Shows

Memories; that’s what define who we are! Unfortunately, as we age, our memory declines. Don’t forget to factor in potential brain injuries and certain dementias, and there’s a possibility your memories could go to dust in your later years! But there’s hope. According to a study published by the journal PLOS Biology by scientists Simon Hanslmayr and Mircea van der Plas from the University of Glasgow, magnetic brain stimulation could enhance our memory. The process in question—known as rTMS, or low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic solution—when administered on the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, was shown to enhance memory performance and minimize the effects of low-frequency brain waves as new memories are formed. Using current information about the effects of rTMS on the brain, the researchers were able to greatly improve episodic memory, and in the process, lay the foundation for future memory-related therapies. The researchers kicked off the study by analyzing past data from 40 college students who were requested to memorize a list of words. During the study, half of the students received slow rTMS on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as they tried to memorize the words. On the other hand, half received the same procedure of rTMS over a control region of the brain. The researchers then carried out another study with 24 other college students using the same conditions. By analyzing both sets of data, the researchers discovered that memory performance was greater for words that were memorized by the students who had their left prefrontal cortex stimulated. Therefore, slow rTMS applied on the prefrontal region reduced the effects of low-frequency brain waves in the brain’s parietal region; which handles perception and attention. While commenting on the study, one of the co-authors, Van der Plas, noted: “Our electrophysiological results suggest that frontal stimulation affects a wider network and improves memory formation by inhibiting parietal areas. These are complex but interesting effects that require further experiments to better understand their neural basis.” As for Hanslmayr, he adds: “We were quite surprised when we saw these effects in the first study, which was designed to investigate a different question. Therefore, we needed to replicate the effects in a second experiment to see whether this is real, and indeed it seems to be.” The co-authors of the study, therefore, theorize that slow rTMS on the parietal region enhances memory.