According to the latest reports, it seems that brain cells that can enhance memory focus and storage have been uncovered. Check out the latest details on this extremely interesting subject.
New medical discovery
Experts have revealed how some brain cells enhance our ability to maintain and focus on short-term memory.
The study revealed the existence of a new type of neuron called PAC neurons, which regulate the activity of memory-specific neurons without storing any data themselves.
These findings were obtained from the brain activity recordings of epilepsy patients who were performing memory tasks. The insights gained from this research provide a better understanding of how working memory operates.
This understanding could help improve treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s and ADHD, where cognitive functions such as memory are affected.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have identified how the brain cells responsible for working memory, such as remembering a phone number long enough to dial it, coordinate the ability to focus intentionally and store short-term information. The study that detailed their findings was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
“We have identified for the first time a group of neurons, influenced by two types of brain waves, that coordinate cognitive control and the storage of sensory information in working memory,” said Jonathan Daume, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the Rutishauser Lab at Cedars-Sinai and first author of the study.
“These neurons don’t contain or store information, but are crucial to the storage of short-term memories.”
Working memory is a cognitive process in which the brain stores information for a short period of time, usually just a few seconds. It is a delicate process that requires constant focus and attention to maintain.
According to Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, director of the Center for Neural Science and Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and senior author of a recent study, working memory can be affected by various diseases and conditions.
“In disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, it is often not memory storage, but rather the ability to focus on and retain a memory once it is formed that is the problem,” said Rutishauser, who is a professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai.
