Scientists have found a way to improve the memory of older people: by Passing electricity through the brain

Memory impairment or loss in the elderly can be a serious problem. About 8% of people in the US have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. An even larger percentage of pensioners face daily difficulties.

Looking for easy and quick ways to improve the memory of the older generation, scientists have found that electricity can help with this. Sending an electrical current for 20 minutes through a patient’s brain can improve memory for at least a month, a new study says.

Brain stimulation was performed using a device that looks like a hat with numerous electrodes. The electrodes transmitted current to certain areas of the brain – one of them is responsible for short-term, and the other for long-term memory.

The study was conducted on a group of 60 people aged 65 to 88 years. The patients were divided into three groups. One of them wore the device, but did not receive stimulation. The second was stimulated by the area responsible for short-term memory, and the third – for long-term memory.

The experiment showed that after four days of the experiment, the memory of people who received stimulation improved. The improvements accumulated over time, the scientists said. The effect was stronger in those who had the weakest cognitive abilities at the time of the experiment. Moreover, the people who showed the greatest progress during the study, kept progress after a month.

Scientists note that the method is experimental. However, it is safe and has no side effects other than tingling and itching for patients during the procedure. Scientists will continue to test the technology to make it available to people with specific diseases such as Alzheimer’s.