Electric waves boost memory
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Stimulating the brain with gentle electric currents during sleep boosts memory, German scientists reported Sunday in the online version of the journal Nature.
When they applied several currents that mimic natural, slow-oscillating brain waves in sleep, they enhanced the memory of medical students who had done a word-learning task by 8%. The students did not feel any sensation from the currents to the frontal cortex of the brain or any adverse side effects. The currents forced the brain more into the deep, slow-wave sleep to improve the memory function, according to the scientists.
