Brain Stimulation May Reverse Seniors' Memory Loss, Study Finds

A study published in Neurology suggests brain stimulation may help seniors recall things better, reports Philly Voice . The technique involves exposing the brain to an electromagnetic pulse, which might restore the memory capabilities to levels more commonly associated with young adults. Memory loss is related to age-related shrinkage of the hippocampus, and although this brain region is too deep to be directly stimulated by magnetic fields, researchers were able to stimulate a portion of the parietal lobe that communicates with the hippocampus. Before stimulation, 16 seniors aged 64 and 80 received a memory test evaluating their ability to remember arbitrary relationships between paired items. After their parietal lobe was stimulated in 20-minute durations for five straight days, the subjects scored as well on the same test as a cohort of young adults. Future studies will use stimulation on individuals with mild cognitive impairment and also stimulate the brain for longer periods.