Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Nat Neurosci. 2022 Sep;25(9):1237-1246. doi: 10.1038/s41593-022-01132-3. Epub 2022 Aug 22.
The development of technologies to protect or enhance memory in older people is an enduring goal of translational medicine. Here we describe repetitive (4-day) transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) protocols for the selective, sustainable enhancement of auditory-verbal working memory and long-term memory in 65-88-year-old people. Modulation of synchronous low-frequency, but not high-frequency, activity in parietal cortex preferentially improved working memory on day 3 and day 4 and 1 month after intervention, whereas modulation of synchronous high-frequency, but not low-frequency, activity in prefrontal cortex preferentially improved long-term memory on days 2-4 and 1 month after intervention. The rate of memory improvements over 4 days predicted the size of memory benefits 1 month later. Individuals with lower baseline cognitive function experienced larger, more enduring memory improvements. Our findings demonstrate that the plasticity of the aging brain can be selectively and sustainably exploited using repetitive and highly focalized neuromodulation grounded in spatiospectral parameters of memory-specific cortical circuitry.
开发保护或增强老年人记忆的技术是转化医学的一个持久目标。在这里，我们描述了一种重复（4 天）的经颅交流电刺激（tACS）方案，用于选择性地、可持续地增强 65-88 岁人群的听觉言语工作记忆和长期记忆。调节顶叶皮层的同步低频而非高频活动优先改善了干预后第 3 天和第 4 天以及 1 个月后的工作记忆，而调节前额叶皮层的同步高频而非低频活动则优先改善了干预后第 2-4 天和 1 个月后的长期记忆。4 天内记忆改善的速度预测了 1 个月后记忆收益的大小。基线认知功能较低的个体经历了更大、更持久的记忆改善。我们的发现表明，使用基于记忆特定皮质回路的空间频谱参数的重复和高度聚焦的神经调节，可以选择性地和可持续地利用衰老大脑的可塑性。
