Do you have a long shopping list that you have to remember?
Or the names of guests at an important meeting?
There are various memory techniques that people use to train their brain to work better, which is a kind of "software" approach to improving mental abilities.
But could we also use "hardware," devices that give our brains electrical stimulation?
For now, this technology is being developed primarily to help restore brain function in certain neurological conditions.
One example is deep brain stimulation, a complex technique that has been used for years to treat people who have movement disorders, such as those suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Pacemaker for the brain
Professor Francesca Morgante from St George's University in London has personally seen the effects of deep brain stimulation in her patients.
"The use of deep brain stimulation is being considered for patients whose symptoms can no longer be controlled by medication," she said in a statement. show CrowdScience BBC World Service.
In Parkinson's disease, cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine die.
Dopamine is necessary for transmitting signals between nerve cells in the parts of the brain that control body movements.
Without enough dopamine, people with Parkinson's disease may experience symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and slowed movement.
The disease progresses over time and there is currently no cure.
Deep brain stimulation involves surgically implanting a pulse generator under the skin, most often just below the collarbone.
The device is connected to wires, or electrodes, which are implanted into the affected parts of the brain to stimulate them with a very weak current.
This system acts like a pacemaker for the brain, helping to re-establish normal message transmission in the brain, explains Morgante.
Not a universal solution
Although deep brain stimulation can relieve some symptoms of Parkinson's disease, it is not always effective.
The ways in which the vast network of brain cells exchange electrical signals with each other are extremely complex and scientists do not yet fully understand them.
"There are many more symptoms than just tremors and mobility problems," says Lucia Ricard, also from St George's University in London.
"For example, depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, memory problems, sleep disorder".
Research suggests that deep brain stimulation may also alleviate some of these symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, but further research is needed, Dr. Rickard says.
And there are also individual differences.
Every brain is extremely complex and unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
The implanted wires used in deep brain stimulation consist of multiple independent segments that are connected to different nerve cells.
Experts must determine which segments need to be stimulated to achieve the greatest effect on the patient's symptoms.
"Deciding which segment to activate and what values to apply, in terms of frequency, amplitude and impulse, involves considering many factors," explains Rikard.
This personalized tuning process, traditionally based on trial and error, is constantly being improved, especially now that artificial intelligence can suggest which combinations best suit a particular brain.
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Memory improvement?
Brain stimulation has been less researched for improving other functions, such as memory, but scientists are actively working in that area as well.
Human memory is largely linked to a part of the brain called the hippocampus.
It receives information from other parts of the brain, such as the smell, sound and images of an experience, and converts it into a code that is then stored as short-term or long-term memory, explains Robert Hampson, a memory expert at Wake Forest University in the US.
A few years ago, his team conducted experiments in which small rodents were given memory-related tasks.
He noticed that specific electrical patterns appeared just before the animal made a decision about what to do.
"If a lab rat needs to turn left, a pattern emerges that I call 'left,' and if it needs to turn right, a pattern emerges that I call 'right,'" Hampson explains.
"We found that there are patterns that are associated with whether memory is functioning properly or is on the verge of failing," he adds.
Dr. Hampson then wondered if it would be possible to influence these patterns and "repair memory when it breaks down."
His team was the first to conduct early human trials of a device known as a hippocampal neural prosthesis.
He describes it as something that is "more like a crutch or a cast than a real prosthesis."
Similar to deep brain stimulation, this approach involves the surgical implantation of a large number of electrodes, which in this case are directed towards the hippocampus.
The technology is not yet fully developed, so instead of a built-in pacemaker, the electrodes are currently connected to a large external computer that can send and receive signals from the brain.
"We're trying to restore function when it's been impaired or lost," Hampson says.
First results in people who have epilepsy are encouraging.
"We were able to record a 25 to 35 percent improvement in the ability to retain information - from about an hour to as much as 24 hours."
"This was the case for the subjects who had the most pronounced memory problems before the test," the doctor points out.
Future possibilities
This technology could one day help people who have memory disorders, such as those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, says Dr. Hampson.
And could it also improve the brains of healthy people, not just those suffering from degenerative diseases?
He believes that there is still a lot we don't know about why memory works better in some people than in others.
"We don't have enough information yet to be able to say, 'Can we do something better than normal?'" he points out.
Of course, in addition to the risks of brain surgery itself, ethical issues must also be taken into account.
"Memory is the essence of who we are, and the one thing we don't want to do is change it," concludes Dr. Hampson.
The text is based on an episode of the BBC World Service's CrowdScience show.
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