A very unique approach to boosting memory was just published in the journal Nature.
While medical students slept, electrodes placed on their scalp came to life, slowly and gently applying current to the brain tissue beneath the skull. The currents were designed to induce and magnify the slow oscillating brain waves of deep sleep.
It is believed that this slow oscillation “has a real function during sleep- to build and consolidate memory”, said Jan Born, a neuroscientist at the University of Luebeck in Germany.
When they awoke, the medical students were better able to recall a list of paired words that were presented to them before they fell asleep. The researchers noted a “striking increase” in memory.
The study is interesting because it actually improved performance in young, healthy people.
I’d be somewhat concerned, however, about the potential side effect of lowering seizure threshold.
Tags: current, electrodes, Germany, medical-students, neuroscientist, seizure, slow-oscillation, University-of-Luebeck
