'Accidental Breakthrough' May Benefit Alzheimer's Patients

An attempt to support an obese man in controlling his appetite may have led to a therapy to help improve the condition of patients who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, trauma-induced memory lapse, dementia, or other disorienting losses of brain function.

The Independent is reporting about this "accidental breakthrough". The experiment was originally an attempt to suppress the appetite of an overweight man via the practice of deep-brain stimulation: A procedure where electrodes are implanted into the brain, which is then stimulated with an electric current. The intent was to stimulate the area of the brain believed to control appetite, and help the man control his hunger. Instead, the electric stimulation triggered a series of vivid memory episodes which led to the patient re-living 30-year old memories. Further tests indicated an increased ability to memorize and remember things when the electric current was used. The discovery was surprising not only because it was found while attempting to control appetite, but because the activity points within the brain that were stimulated had not previously been identified with long-term memory retention. Similar brain stimulation has been an available treatment for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, and has helped control the tremors often associated with it. Toronto Western Hospital's Andres Lozano described the procedure in this case as, "driving up the activity of the brain by increasing its sensitivity - turning up the volume of the memory circuits." Unfortunately, when the current was removed, the improvements in memory function quickly faded. The inadvertent discovery led doctors to consider a "pacemaker for the brain" option for treating memory loss. The initial trial of six Alzheimer's patients is under way. Three of the patients who have been treated are showing "promising" results, according to Professor Lozano.