When the neurologists were thinking that they had deciphered the functioning of the different parts of brain, a new discovery has now forced them to review their research. The doctors have accidentally stumbled upon a new area in brain responsible for storing memory while operating upon an obese individual, to suppress his hunger through the technique of deep brain-stimulation.
The technique of deep brain-stimulation makes use of electrodes to stimulate certain parts of the brain, thus regulating behavior. In the case of this obese patient who weighed 190 kilograms, the technique was used when all other means to suppress his hunger failed. However, when the doctors were operating upon the patient by stimulating his hypothalamus – the area responsible for hunger, different responses were shown by the patient. Though there was no change in his eating patterns which was intended, he reported having a unique experience wherein memories from the past livened up. According to him, he could see the intricate details of a scene in some park where he had been thirty years previously.
This has sparked off a research headed by Andres Lozano, a professor of neurology at the Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario, who believes the discovery to be a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease where a person suffers memory loss. They are now studying the obese patient’s reactions on stimulating his brain and recording his responses. According to Lozano:
This is the first time that anyone has had electrodes implanted in the brain which have been shown to improve memory. We are driving the activity of the brain by increasing its sensitivity – turning up the volume of the memory circuits. Any event that involves the memory circuits is more likely to be stored and retained.
Via: The Independent