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Scientists Discover Way To Reverse Memory Loss

Posted by samzenpus on from the insert-probe-and-remember dept.

electricbern writes "Scientists have accidentally discovered how to reverse memory loss by stimulating a specific part of the hypothalamus. Good news for people with Alzheimer's and those who just forgot where they left the car keys."

2 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Michael Crichton's "terminal man" by mmell · · Score: 4, Informative
    Mr. Crichton's work was based on sound, confirmed science, dating back to the '40's and earlier - even by the turn of the century, medical science was beginning to understand that direct, external stimuli to the brain resulted in perceptual activities - memories, smells, emotions, etc. - but again, I don't think there was a great deal of truly scientific work in the field until the '40's and '50's.

    And the shocks didn't make him murderous - the shocks conditioned his brain to trigger a psychomotor epileptic seizure (to experience the pleasure of a shock) - eventually, the conditioning caused seizures which overrode the neural pacemaker's ability to moderate his brain's electrical activity.

  2. Original research abstract by FleaPlus · · Score: 4, Informative
    FYI, here's the original abstract for the research the news article is based on:

    http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117902419/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

    Memory enhancement induced by hypothalamic/fornix deep brain stimulation

    Clement Hamani, MD, PhD 1, Mary Pat McAndrews, PhD 2, Melanie Cohn, PhD 2, Michael Oh, MD 1, Dominik Zumsteg, MD 3, Colin M. Shapiro, MD, PhD, FRCPC 4, Richard A. Wennberg, MD, FRCPC 3, Andres M. Lozano, MD, PhD, FRCSC

    Bilateral hypothalamic deep brain stimulation was performed to treat a patient with morbid obesity. We observed, quite unexpectedly, that stimulation evoked detailed autobiographical memories. Associative memory tasks conducted in a double-blinded on versus off manner demonstrated that stimulation increased recollection but not familiarity-based recognition, indicating a functional engagement of the hippocampus. Electroencephalographic source localization showed that hypothalamic deep brain stimulation drove activity in mesial temporal lobe structures. This shows that hypothalamic stimulation in this patient modulates limbic activity and improves certain memory functions. Ann Neurol 2008;63:119-123
    Received: 5 July 2007; Revised: 31 August 2007; Accepted: 4 October 2007