Brain activation patterns during stimulation
Scientists have uncovered a method for improving short-term working memory, by stimulating the brain with electricity to synchronise brain waves. Researchers at Imperial College London found that applying a low voltage current can bring different areas of the brain in sync with one another, enabling people to perform better on tasks involving working memory. The hope is that the approach could one day be used to bypass damaged areas of the brain and relay signals in people with traumatic brain injury, stroke or epilepsy. The brain is in a constant state of chatter, with this activity seen as brainwaves oscillating at different frequencies and different regions keeping a steady 'beat'. We are very excited about the potential of brain stimulation to treat patients Professor David Sharp Neurologist in Imperial's Department of Medicine In a small study , published today in the journal eLife, the Imperial team found that applying a weak electrical current through the scalp helped to align different parts of the brain, synchronising their brain waves and enabling them to keep the same beat. "What we observed is that people performed better when the two waves had the same rhythm and at the same time," said Dr Ines Ribeiro Violante, a neuroscientist in the Department of Medicine at Imperial, who led the research. In the trial, carried out in collaboration with University College London, the team used a technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (TACS) to manipulate the brain's regular rhythm.
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