As people grow older, they may take an IQ test to see how their cognitive abilities have improved or worsened with time. However, even if these individuals’ memory begins to fade, they may have a way to give it the jolt it needs in the not-too-distant future.
A recent University of California, Los Angeles study, which appears in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that neuroscientists may have found a way to strengthen people’s memory.
For their research, the neuroscientists had seven subjects play a video game in which they filled the role of a taxi cab driver that had to pick up virtual passengers and take them to one of six requested locations. When these individuals had the nerve fibers in the entohinal cortex portion of their brain stimulated during the learning process, they later recognized landmarks and could navigate routes at a quicker pace.
The fact that the stimulation worked during the learning process may mean that individuals would not have to undergo continuous treatment. Instead, they could just receive the memory boost when they need to remember important information. The neuroscientists feel that this method may help improve memory in those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease as well.
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