用磁脈沖刺激大腦前額后的區(qū)域,,大腦學(xué)習和記憶一項任務(wù)的能力會有很大提高。
據(jù)《每日電訊報》報道,,加拿大溫哥華英屬哥倫比亞大學(xué)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn),,用磁脈沖刺激大腦前額后的區(qū)域——運動前區(qū)皮層(premotor cortex)后,大腦學(xué)習和記憶一項任務(wù)的能力會有很大提高,。這項發(fā)現(xiàn)有助于他們研發(fā)出可以幫助提高大腦能力的思維帽(thinking cap)。
由英屬哥倫比亞大學(xué)的拉亞·博伊德(Lara Boyd)博士領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的這個科研組認為,,可以利用這項技術(shù)提高智力,,幫助那些學(xué)習有困難的人。博伊德讓30名志愿者通過一個操作桿,,用紅斑追蹤電腦屏幕上的目標物,。任務(wù)期間,那些目標物會隨意移動,,然后進入一個編程模式,,最后重新回到隨意移動模式。不過所有參與者都不清楚目標物的這個重復(fù)過程,,認為它始終都在隨意移動,。
研究人員用磁體對其中一些參與者的大腦進行刺激。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),,那些大腦受刺激的參與者在追蹤重復(fù)試驗部分的目標物時,,表現(xiàn)的顯然比其他小組更好。不過這些人在隨意移動部分的表現(xiàn)并沒有明顯的差異,。博伊德將她的研究結(jié)果發(fā)表在《BMC神經(jīng)科學(xué)》(BMC Neuroscience)雜志上,,她表示,,研究顯示,磁刺激可提高學(xué)習能力,,這項發(fā)現(xiàn)最終能使他們研制出“思考帽”,。
博伊德說:“我們希望利用這種工具,能提高那些在學(xué)習新運動技巧方面有困難的患者群體的學(xué)習能力,。事實上我們現(xiàn)在正在實驗室里研究這種可能性,。”與此同時,科學(xué)家確定引起恐懼的大腦區(qū)域后,,恐怖癥患者有望被治愈,。華盛頓大學(xué)的研究人員利用大腦成像,已經(jīng)查明大腦中心被稱作扁桃腺里的基底外側(cè)核,。這個科研組的研究結(jié)果發(fā)表在《公共科學(xué)圖書館·綜合》(PLoS One)雜志上,,他們表示,有一天借助這項發(fā)現(xiàn)可能“能治愈對正常腦功能產(chǎn)生干擾的恐懼癥”,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦原始出處:
BMC Neuroscience 2009, 10:72doi:10.1186/1471-2202-10-72
Excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to left dorsal premotor cortex enhances motor consolidation of new skills
Lara A Boyd and Meghan A Linsdell
Background
Following practice of skilled movements, changes continue to take place in the brain that both strengthen and modify memory for motor learning. These changes represent motor memory consolidation a process whereby new memories are transformed from a fragile to a more permanent, robust and stable state. In the present study, the neural correlates of motor memory consolidation were probed using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd). Participants engaged in four days of continuous tracking practice that immediately followed either excitatory 5 HZ, inhibitory 1 HZ or control, sham rTMS. A delayed retention test assessed motor learning of repeated and random sequences of continuous movement; no rTMS was applied at retention.
Results
We discovered that 5 HZ excitatory rTMS to PMd stimulated motor memory consolidation as evidenced by off-line learning, whereas only memory stabilization was noted following 1 Hz inhibitory or sham stimulation.
Conclusions
Our data support the hypothesis that PMd is important for continuous motor learning, specifically via off-line consolidation of learned motor behaviors.