2008-01-30 05:25:18
Electrical stimulation of areas deep within the brain could improve memory,
early research suggests.
A team of doctors in Canada stumbled upon the finding while attempting to treat
a morbidly obese man through deep brain stimulation (DBS).
The electrical stimulation caused the patient to experience vivid memories.
The findings, reported in the Annals of Neurology, potentially pave the way for
electrical stimulation to treat disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
We hope it might provide benefit to patients with memory disorders
Andres Lozano
Toronto Western Hospital
Lead researcher Professor Andres Lozano, of the Toronto Western Hospital, said:
"This is a single case that was totally unexpected.
"We knew immediately this was important. We are sufficiently intrigued to see
if this could help people with memory disorders."
The team had been trying to help a 50-year-old obese man with type 2 diabetes
and sleeping disorders who had failed to respond to diet, medications and
psychological help.
He had refused gastric surgery, and doctors decided deep brain stimulation,
although experimental, was his best option.
DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION
Electrodes are implanted in the brain under local anaesthesia, with the patient
awake so their responses can be monitored
The electrodes are stimulated by a "pacemaker" stitched into the chest
It has been used for more than a decade to treat tremor, and more recently to
treat Parkinson's disease, chronic pain and depression
Side effects can include apathy, hallucinations, depression, and even
compulsive gambling - but often they are temporary
It has been found to have an impact on appetite in animal tests, but has not
been widely tested as a treatment for obesity in humans.
However, it has been used to treat Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, severe
cluster headaches and even depression with some success.
The technique involves implanting electrodes into the brain: in this case into
an area in the limbic system called the hypothalamus, which is thought to
control the appetite.
When the electrodes were stimulated by electrical impulses the patient began to
experience feelings of deja vu.
He then had a sudden perception of being in a park with friends.
He felt younger, thought he was around 20-years-old, and his girlfriend of the
time was there. He was an observer, and saw the scene in colour.
As the intensity of the stimulation increased, details in the scene became more
vivid.
Memory tests
Following surgery, the patient recovered for two months. But later when the
electrodes were stimulated for a second time, he experienced a similar effect.
After three weeks of constant electrical stimulation the patient performed
better in memory tests than he had previously done.
A year later he again performed well in memory tests when the electrodes were
stimulated, but less well when they were switched off.
The results suggest it might be possible to use deep brain stimulation directly
to boost memory.
"We hopefully have found a circuit in the brain which can be modulated by
stimulation, and which might provide benefit to patients with memory
disorders," said Professor Lozano.
Professor Lozano is now leading a pilot study into whether deep brain
stimulation can help people with early Alzheimer's disease. They are initially
testing six patients.
Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "As it is difficult to
experiment on the living human brain, big leaps in understanding have
occasionally been made from unexpected results when treating something
unrelated or observations from rare genetic diseases and unusual lesions.
"The observations of memories recovery made during this attempt to treat
extreme obesity, could be just such a 'stroke of luck'."
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, welcomed the
move but said further work was clearly needed.
She said: "It will be interesting to see whether this method offers any benefit
to people with Alzheimer's.
"With the number of people with Alzheimer's forecast to double within a
generation, we urgently need to find ways to tackle this awful disease, but
research is hugely under-funded."