The Importance of Location in Brain Simulation

Rachel Ehrenberg in Science News describes how location matters when simulating the brain during memory tasks. Past studies have suggested that the entorhinal cortex plays a role in memory enhancement. However, a recent study conducted by Nanthia Suthana and colleagues at UCLA, indicates that simulating white matter improves memory performance. 

This study consisted of participants with epilepsy who either had electrodes implanted in the entorhinal cortex’s gray matter or white matter. These electrodes stretched out to the hippocampus, a region that is critical for memory. Participants participated in memory tasks such as recognizing faces and learning a list words, or the names of different objects. While the participants were engaged in the memory tasks, their brains were simulated with a low current of electricity. The results showed that simulating white matter led to stronger performance on the memory tasks, compared to simulating grey matter. Since white matter is composed of myelin and contains axons, it is possible that brain simulation speeds up axon potentials. 

            Given the results of this study, white matter may serve as a key component in treating patients with memory deficits, especially for those with Amnesia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are still additional factors in brain stimulation that require further examination. These factors include the precise location and current of the electrode. 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/when-tickling-brain-stimulate-memory-location-matters