Memory

Health & Wellbeing

How linking odors to learning during sleep can help memories form

Scientists have understood for several years how linking learning to specific odor cues can enhance memory if the same smells are then presented during a specific sleep phase. New researcn has now verified the method in a cohort of school students.

Research suggests VR experiences may not be useful in some educational contexts

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality may prevent effective formation of visual memories

A study is suggesting VR may inhibit effective formation of visual memories, and in some contexts could result in poor educational results. The study hypothesizes the enhanced cognitive demands of VR potentially disrupt visual memory formation.

An infusion of ketamine administered immediately after an alcohol reward memory had been triggered was found to significantly reduce drinking across the following months

Science

Scientists edit addiction memories with ketamine to treat alcoholism

An incredible new study has found a specifically timed infusion of ketamine can rewrite maladaptive reward memories. Subjects with harmful alcohol behaviors significantly reduced their drinking for nine months following a single ketamine treatment.

When sound cues attached to difficult puzzles were played to participants while they slept, they were more likely to successfully solve that puzzle the next morning

Health & Wellbeing

How sounds can help you solve problems in your sleep

A new study out of Northwestern University has found the old advice of solving a problem by "sleeping on it" is not only true, but can be improved by using sound cues to manipulate our brain while we sleep.

How can some people sleep as little as four hours a night and suffer from no adverse health effects?

Medical

Gene related to "short sleep" patterns also improves memory

A study has homed in on a gene linked to “short sleepers”, those with the ability to slumber for less than six hours a night with no negative consequences. The gene mutation also was found to prevent memory problems associated with sleep deprivation.

A new study involving mice has found a short bout of exercise enhanced the expression of a particular gene that increases synaptic connections between neurons

Health & Wellbeing

Exercising before study may enhance learning and stimulate new neural connections

We know exercise is beneficial for brain health but exactly how it confers cognitive enhancements is not entirely clear. Compelling new research has discovered a single session of exercise can enhance the expression of a gene that promotes synaptic growth in the hippocampus.

Two new studies are suggesting neuroscientists may be able to suppress, or even completely erase, traumatic memories

Science

The incredible science exploring how to edit our memories

Two remarkable new studies are suggesting sci-fi stories of memory manipulation may not be so far-fetched. The research describes early proof-of-concept experiments showing how negative emotional associations with traumatic memories can potentially be weakened or even entirely edited out.

A compelling study has found that just five 20-minute magnetic stimulation sessions restored an older person's memory to the level of a younger control group

Medical

Age-related memory decline reversed with magnetic pulses to the brain

Researchers at Northwestern University have used a non-invasive form of magnetic brain stimulation to improve the memory of older adults. After just five short sessions the older adults scored as well as a younger cohort on a variety of memory tasks.

Neuroscientist Rob Reinhart has discovered a way to mend broken pathways in the brain and restore memory function

Medical

Electrical brain stimulation winds memory function back 50 years

A new study conducted by scientists at Boston University has outlined a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that was able to restore working memory in 70-year-old subjects, so much so they functioned like a healthy 20-year-old.

The study indicates that multiple episodes of depression could be associated with a decrease in memory function later in life

Health & Wellbeing

Depression and anxiety linked to memory loss in later life

A newly-published study has found a link between repeated episodes of anxiety and depression experienced in the first four decades of life, and a decline in memory function by the time a person reaches their 50s.

The team used fMRI and machine learning to track brain function

Science

It takes more brain power to forget something than to remember it

An important part of the human brain has to work harder to actively forget a memory than it does to remember it, according to the results of a newly-published study. The research could one day lead to a treatment designed to remove painful memories.

The study found 5 hours sleep plus a 90 minute afternoon nap was better for a teenager's overall mood and memory, than a single six and a half hour overnight sleep

Health & Wellbeing

Sleep study finds pros and cons to afternoon nap for teenage brain health

New research has revealed that a short night sleep with an afternoon nap is better for a teenager's mood and cognition than a longer, continuous night’s sleep. On the other hand, the split sleep students reported higher glucose levels, a marker that points to increased diabetes risk.