People can be trained to control specific frequencies of brain activity while subduing others — consciously improving memory function. As reported in the International Journal of Psychophysiology (2003;47:75-85), “neurofeedback” may benefit people suffering from hyperactivity, epilepsy, and other cognitive disorders, and can also enhance working memory in healthy individuals.
The memory-boosting method utilizes EEG sensors placed on the scalp to measure neural activity. These feed information back to the individual through a game displayed on a computer screen. To control the game, one must learn to control various brain-activity frequencies through relaxation and focused attention.
Researchers at Imperial College London observed 40 medical students playing 15-minute intervals of the game twice a week for four weeks. A subset of subjects learned to consciously increase their sensorimotor rhythm activity (SMR), which correlated with improvements in recall. Boosting this brain frequency coincided with a jump from 71% initial recall of a list of words to 82% after training. Subjects trained to enhance other brain frequencies did not significantly improve on this task.
This study supports other clinical findings suggesting neurofeedback’s cognitive benefits. “This the first time we have shown a link between the use of neurofeedback and improvements in memory,” lead researcher Dr David Vernon said. Whether the relationship between SMR and recall was causal or merely an association, and whether observed improvements were permanent, remains to be seen.
Author: Doug Herrmann, Ph.D.
Compliments of Practical Memory
