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A robot hand makes contact with a human finger on a dark blue background.
Fine Tuning Muscle Control with Light
By leveraging optogenetic stimulation for more precise muscle activation, scientists hope to advance neuroprosthetic technology.
Fine Tuning Muscle Control with Light
Fine Tuning Muscle Control with Light

By leveraging optogenetic stimulation for more precise muscle activation, scientists hope to advance neuroprosthetic technology.

By leveraging optogenetic stimulation for more precise muscle activation, scientists hope to advance neuroprosthetic technology.

brain stimulation

Cartoon of a silhouetted person’s bright pink brain being shocked by jumper cables
Electrically Zapping Specific Brain Regions Can Boost Memory
Dan Robitzski | Aug 22, 2022 | 3 min read
Low-intensity electrical stimulation allows older adults to better recall a list of words for at least a month following the treatment, a study finds, providing further evidence for the debated idea that electrical stimulation can enhance cognitive performance.
stubbed-out cigarette with smoke rising from ashes
Damage to Brain Network Curbs Urge to Smoke
Shawna Williams | Jun 16, 2022 | 2 min read
A study finds that injuries to certain areas of the brain were associated with quitting smoking more quickly, easily, and with no cravings.
an illustration of a person's head with the thalamus highlighted
Brain Stimulation Tested to Awaken Coma Patients
Shawna Williams | Feb 5, 2021 | 4 min read
Two out of three people who received noninvasive ultrasound appear to have gained some level of consciousness, according to preliminary trial results.
How Manipulating Rodent Memories Can Elucidate Neurological Function
Amber Dance | May 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
Strategies to make lab animals forget, remember, or experience false recollections probe how memory works, and may inspire treatments for neurological diseases.
Infographic: Messing with a Mouse’s Memory
Amber Dance | May 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Researchers have developed ways to manipulate neurons involved in a particular memory to make mice recall an experience or to remember something that never happened.
Deep Brain Stimulation Improves Depression Symptoms: Study
Catherine Offord | Oct 7, 2019 | 2 min read
The effects of the therapy in a small group of  patients were long-lasting, researchers say, adding to evidence that the approach works for treatment-resistant depression.
Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Turns Back Clock on Memory
Jef Akst | Apr 8, 2019 | 2 min read
The approach temporarily improved the performance of older adults on memory tasks to be on par with people in their 20s.
Doubts Raised About Brain Stimulation to Reduce Food Cravings
Abby Olena, PhD | Jan 10, 2019 | 4 min read
Despite previous positive reports, researchers didn’t see transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) cut back on people’s urges or eating.
Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Modulates Memory Networks
Jef Akst | Nov 1, 2018 | 4 min read
Studies have demonstrated that magnetic and electrical currents can enhance memory in human subjects, but the technology is not yet ready for prime time.
Ultrasound Fires Up the Auditory Cortex—Even Though Animals Can’t Hear It
Abby Olena, PhD | May 24, 2018 | 4 min read
Researchers have been using ultrasound to control brain activity, but studies in mice and guinea pigs show it also stimulates the auditory system, presenting a confounder for direct neural stimulation.
The Next Generation of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation
Jef Akst | Nov 14, 2017 | 3 min read
New techniques for activating or suppressing neural activity by zapping the skull’s surface allow researchers to target smaller and deeper areas of the brain.
Study Raises Questions About Brain Stimulation Boosting Memory
Ashley Yeager | Nov 1, 2017 | 3 min read
In people with epilepsy, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) does not affect memory-related brainwaves as widely claimed, researchers report.
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