New UArizona study links brain waves directly to memory

New UArizona study links brain waves directly to memoryThe findings could lay foundations for cognitive impairment therapy and help improve memory. Niranjana Rajalakshmi Today University CommunicationsOscillations feature.jpgHealthCollege of ScienceExpertsResearch Media contact(s)Niranjana Rajalakshmi Science Writer, University Communicationsniranjanar@arizona.edu917-415-3497 Researcher contact(s)Arne Ekstrom Department of Psychologyadekstrom@email.arizona.edu520-621-4594Neurons produce rhythmic patterns of electrical activity in the brain. One of the unsettled questions in the field of neuroscience is what primarily drives these rhythmic signals, called oscillations. University of Arizona researchers have found that simply remembering events can trigger them, even more so than when people are experiencing the actual event.The researchers, whose findings arepublished in the journal Neuron, specifically focused on what are known as theta oscillations, which emerge in the brain ' s hippocampus region during activities like exploration, navigation and sleep. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in the brain ' s ability to remember the past.Ekstrom - Sandbox.jpg Arne EkstromPrior to this study,it was believed that the external environment played a more important role in driving theta oscillations, saidArne Ekstrom, professor of cognition and neural systems in the UArizonaDepartment of Psychology and senior author of the study. But Ekstrom and his collaborators found t...
Source: The University of Arizona: Health - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: research