Memory can be enhanced by delivering magnetic pulses to the brain, scientists have found, raising the prospect of new forms of treatment for dementia.
Healthy volunteers who were given just three sessions of magnetic stimulation performed better on a range of memory tasks, such as matching faces and words.
The technique, called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), uses a “paddle” that is held next to the scalp without any need for surgery or drugs.
Joel Voss, who led the study at Northwestern University in Illinois, said: “This non-invasive stimulation improves the ability to learn new things. It has tremendous potential for