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Synchronizing an elderly person's brainwaves temporarily boosts his recall powers. After about half an hour of precisely calibrated stimulation, people were better able to mentally juggle images seen on a screen, say researchers Nature Neuroscience.
The findings are the latest example of technology to improve thinking by reshaping brainwaves, an approach that may eventually lead to non-invasive therapies for disorders such as dementia, schizophrenia, and autism.
In this new study, researchers attempted to synchronize the brain waves of 42 people aged 60 to 76 years. External electrodes on a cap delivered an alternating electric current designed to coordinate brain waves in two parts of the brain: the left prefrontal cortex and the left temporal cortex, both thought to be involved in the working memory.
After 25 minutes of stimulation, these older people could better remember if an image on a screen was identical to a previous or slightly modified version. The results obtained by neuroscientists Robert Reinhart and John Nguyen, both from Boston University, rival those of people in their twenties. Other experiments revealed that when 18 brain devices were shaken with the device, their working memory suffered.
The benefits of brain stimulation lasted at least 50 minutes. At a press conference with reporters on April 2, Reinhart said he suspected the benefits lasted longer than that.
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