Mild Electric Shock To Brain May Boost Spatial Memory

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Mild Electric Shock To Brain May Boost Spatial Memory

Posted by timothy on Thursday February 9, 2012 @08:33AM from the now-where-was-I? dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A mild electrical shock to the brain before learning a new task may enhance memory, researchers reported on Wednesday. A team of neuroscientists demonstrated that electrical stimulation to a critical junction in the brain appeared to boost memory in a few patients with epilepsy, a surprising finding that have implications for Alzheimer's disease treatment."

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In other news by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-09 08:37 · Score: 5, Funny

Randomly flipping bits in binary may fix bugs.
Sock your kids, make them smarter by na1led · 2012-02-09 08:41 · Score: 4, Funny

So if I use a shock collar on my kids, not only will I be able to discipline them better, but I'll also be making them smarter.

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-- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
1. Re:Sock your kids, make them smarter by Jeng · 2012-02-09 08:56 · Score: 2
  
  Naw, a shock headband, the shock has to go though the brain.
  
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  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Dr Fried??? by mcl630 · 2012-02-09 08:43 · Score: 5, Funny

Should you really let a doctor named "Fried" give you electrical shock treatments?
Re:Proven! by TWX · 2012-02-09 08:43 · Score: 3, Interesting

Back when I was an avid swing dancer, I met a gal who thought that if she learned to do something while drunk then she'd always be able to do it well while drunk.
I guess she thought she was a good swing dancer while drunk, but I couldn't tell the difference between her dancing and her stumbling around drunk...

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Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Makes a great present by wildzeke · 2012-02-09 08:49 · Score: 4, Funny

The portable, memory enhancing electro-shock band is so comfortable, you'll forget you are wearing it.
not a surprise by sribe · 2012-02-09 08:54 · Score: 2

I can tell you for sure that a severe electrical shock boosts my spatial memory! As in, every time I even get near that cabinet, all sphincters clench.
Calling 'shock' or 'electroshock' inaccurate by Kurofuneparry · 2012-02-09 08:57 · Score: 2

This is deep brain stimulation. They're running a constant or alternating current, not producing bursts of electricity or a 'shock'. I've administered the modern, anesthetized, calibrated version of electroshock in my medical training and this procedure described here is also very, very different.

This is much more analogous to overclocking a part of the brain by preferentially stimulating it to work harder. This may be used to improve performance but those applications are still far away. This is most useful as a diagnostic tool or even more likely as a research tool to try to understand what various parts of the brain do.

Then again.... I'm an idiot.....

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...... and idiots rule the world....
1. Re:Calling 'shock' or 'electroshock' inaccurate by LifesABeach · 2012-02-09 09:37 · Score: 2
  
  Could this application be used to help "plot" the neural pathways?
Re:Proven! by linear+a · 2012-02-09 10:17 · Score: 2

But she was really GOOD at stumbling around while drunk!