During a recent experimental brain surgery to control the appetite of an obese man the doctors made an accidental breakthrough that may very well unlock how your memory works. It was simply a side-effect of the treatment of obesity, but the memory stimulation could potentially pave the road to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
The doctors pushed electrodes deep into the hypothalamus - the section of the brain thought to control appetite - and stimulated it with an electric current. Instead of suppressing the patient’s hunger, the deep brain stimulation unlocked vivid memories of an experience 30 years earlier. This result was nothing short of amazing and has raised the possibility of a pacemaker for the brain. It has also created a path of study now underway for patients with early Alzheimer’s disease.
Professor Andes Lozano, lead researcher of the Toronto Western Hospital, explained that after his team planted the electrodes, memory was most intense near the fornix, a grouping of fibers that carry single signals within the limbic system, which is involved in memory and emotions and is situated next to the hypothalamus.
The patient recalled in detail being in a park with friends and then his girlfriend back when he was about 20. As the electric pulses intensified he was able to relate the scene more vividly. After surgery, the patient recovered for two months, after which the electrodes were fitted in a second time. More tests showed that his ability to learn was significantly improved when the current was switched on and his brain was stimulated. It soon became clear that the patient performed well in memory tests when the electrodes were stimulated but less when they were switched off.
Professor Lozano, who also teaches neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and is a world authority on DPS, stated that the approach could only address the symptom of forgetfulness. It would not modify the course of the disease but could still prove a useful tool in the fight against dementia. “It gives us insight into which brain structures are involved in memory,” Professor Lozano said. “It gives us a means of intervening in the way we have already done in Parkinson’s and for mood disorders such as depression, and it may have therapeutic benefit in people with memory problems.”
The technique is now being studied on six Alzheimer’s patients in an initial pilot research. Only three patients could afford to have the device surgically implanted. Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, stated that she is keeping a close eye on this research as it will be interesting to see whether this method offers any benefit to people with Alzheimer’s.
Though accidental, this ‘discovery’ was greatly appreciated and research is already underway to confirm its use as the Alzheimer’s population is expected to double among baby boomers. It has become an amazing achievement in the ongoing battle to tackle the disease and we look forward to its effectiveness on our beloved relatives.
We at Boomer Yearbook are excited and thrilled by the prospect of this type of Alzheimer’s treatment. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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