Regulation of brain waves by brain stimulation to restore working memory in the elderly
Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, April 8 (Reporter Zhang Mengran) With the aging of the human body, the brain's ability to process and store information will inevitably decline, but if this ability can be reversed? According to a study published online by the British journal Nature Neuroscience on the 8th, American scientists succeeded in restoring the working memory of the elderly by synchronizing the rhythm of the brain region, stimulating the temporal and frontal lobes according to specific rhythms. Reversing age-related decline in working memory. Working memory refers to the ability to store information for later use. This is a "capacity limited" system that will decline with age. In the young population, working memory is associated with specific neural interactions within the brain and between brain regions. This process is believed to involve two modes of neural oscillations (or brain waves) in the frontal and temporal lobes, namely the gamma rhythm and theta rhythm. The theta oscillations in the anterior frontal lobe and temporal lobe are also associated with working memory and are thought to promote long-term interactions in these brain regions. This time, Boston University scientists Robert Ryanhart and John Beck's team used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine in detail how such interactions have changed among older people and how they relate to working memory. They decided to use non-invasive brain stimulation to regulate brainwave interactions associated with working memory. The subjects they selected included 42 young people (20 to 29 years old) and 42 elderly people (60 to 76 years old) who were completed with brain stimulation and no brain stimulation. Work memory related tasks. The results show that in the absence of brain stimulation, the working memory of the elderly is far less rapid and accurate than young people. While the young perform the working memory task, the interaction between theta rhythm and the gamma rhythm in the left temporal cortex is enhanced, and theta rhythm synchronization in the front of the frontal lobe is also enhanced. However, after the elderly received active brain stimulation, the accuracy of performing work memory tasks rose to a level similar to that of young people. This effect lasted for 50 minutes after the stimulation was applied. The accuracy of the elderly performing tasks increased, and the interaction between theta rhythm and gamma rhythm in the left temporal cortex was enhanced, and theta rhythm between the left temporal cortex and the frontal lobe was simultaneously enhanced. The researchers said that the above results are expected to lay the foundation for the future development of interventions for age-related cognitive decline in humans. Editor-in-chief The question of who is the initiator of cognitive decline is still inconclusive. Researchers have used a number of methods to study the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, and have not given targeted, proven and effective prevention or treatment. This time, brain stimulation was used to regulate brain wave interaction with working memory, and good results were obtained. The accuracy of the elderly performing tasks increased, and the effect lasted for nearly an hour. If "people can be younger", if the health of the brain can not be corroded by years, this will not only greatly improve the quality of life of the elderly, but even change the social labor structure. Of course, although the future may be wonderful, the road to research has to go step by step. Source: Technology Daily X Ray Full Protection Collar,Full Protection Lead Collar,Large Area Protection Lead Collar,X Ray Lead Thyroid Neck Collar Longkou Kangxie Medical Instrument Co., Ltd , https://www.lkmradiology.com