We often see technology as a threat to cognitive processes like our memory. But perhaps we can improve our ability to retain information in our brains through technology. A team of US researchers has shown that electrodes placed on the hippocampus can improve memory.

Ten years of preparation.
After extensive theoretical work on how the brain forms memories and a phase of animal experiments, an American team of researchers has announced the first results of a study in which it is possible to improve participants’ memory through brain prostheses. These results were published in the journal. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Electrodes to stimulate the brain.
The prosthesis consists of millimetric electrodes placed inside the brain. Specifically, a horseshoe-shaped structure located in the middle region of this vital organ, in the hippocampus, and is often associated with smell, memory, and spatial orientation.

The electrodes have a dual function: on the one hand, they record the electrical impulses that occur in this brain region when a new memory is formed; on the other hand, they copy the same impulse to return this memory to our brain.

Two models…
The researchers devised two memory retrieval mechanisms. On the one hand, a “simple” model is the Memory Decoding Model (MDM), which can be described in the previous paragraph: The implant records brain activity as soon as the memory is created and then copies the impulse when it needs to be accessed. memory.

model multiple entry, multiple output (MIMO) offers an intermediate step to more faithfully replicate the processes occurring in the hippocampus: electrical activity flows between different layers of this brain region before spreading to other parts of the organ.

The researchers studied both models through brain implants in 24 participants. These participants were epileptic patients who had electrodes implanted in their brains as treatment. Some of these patients suffered from brain injuries that affected their memory. This methodology implies caution when estimating results for general populations.

…and many types of brains.
However, this is only a first approach. The implants used could only compile information from 40 to 100 neurons. To create a functional prosthesis, electrodes would need to collect and transmit information between much larger numbers, stories, or thousands of neurons.

Another limitation the team faced is the variation in the brain functioning of the participants. This means that the electrical signals compiled by the implants vary from participant to participant.

Many details yet to be discovered.
In addition to these issues, the application of these prostheses in practice will require solving other unknowns. For example, should devices always compile information or only be activated when we need to remember certain aspects of the day.

Related to this, the researchers also raise the question of whether it would be appropriate for the devices to work during our sleep hours. All this indicates that the road ahead is long. Even more so, if we add to this that the use of any treatment requires a series of tests to accurately determine its safety, efficacy and effectiveness.

Fight Alzheimer’s.
The developers of this technology hope it can help people with memory problems caused by injuries or diseases like Alzheimer’s. One of the results of the experiment can be interpreted as a positive sign in this direction: The participants with the worst memory improved the most while using the device.

Researchers still don’t know exactly why this happens, but they think it may just be because they have more room for improvement thanks to the device. It could also be good news for everyone, because memory is a skill that everyone loses more or less with age.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that is estimated to affect 44 million people worldwide, including about 6 million in Spain. There is no cure and the latest news in the fight to eradicate this disease has not been positive. That’s why medicine today focuses on tackling its symptoms, just as it does with memory loss.

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