The memory of patients who have lesions in the brain could be improved by up to 50% thanks to brain electrodes, according to a new study which marks a milestone in the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
- 600,000 people suffer from epilepsy in France according to Inserm.
- A third of epileptic seizures do not respond to available treatments.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in France with around 1.2 million people suffering from it, according to health insurance. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, but scientific research continues to investigate in this direction.
Brain electrodes that boost memory
And, precisely, a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience just found an interesting lead. The researchers behind it succeeded in developing a device capable of restoring, in part, the memory of patients suffering from lesions in the brain. These are brain electrodes that mimic the hippocampus – the affected area in case of memory impairment – and stimulate the encoding of memories.
To test their device, the researchers conducted a clinical trial on 24 patients with refractory epilepsy, that is to say resistant to treatment. This disease which affects the brain brings together different symptoms but the most typical manifestation of epilepsy is the epileptic seizure, of which there are two types: the generalized seizure and the focal seizure, according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). The participants also suffered from brain damage.
All participants were fitted with brain electrodes and their memory capacity was assessed during the tests. During the latter, they had to observe an image – when it was the first time, the electrodes were activated – and recognize it 15 to 90 minutes later.
The function of the hippocampus reproduced by brain electrodes
During this second stage, when the participants’ brains had to recognize the image, the brain electrodes reproduced the electrical signals from the hippocampus. “Our structured stimulation of the hippocampus during encoding [de nouveaux souvenirs] improves recall and recognition up to 90 minutes later”explains Professor Robert Hampson in a communicated.
According to the results, the more the participants had significant memory problems at the start of the experiment, the more the brain electrodes were effective in restoring their memory capacities. Thus, the researchers even estimate that some patients experienced improvements in their memory capacity of up to 50%.
“This is a profound improvement in restoring memory functionemphasizes Professor Robert Hampson. Our goal is to be able to stop the decline of memory function and improve the quality of life (…) of the patients with Alzheimer’s disease“.
