Electrical stimulation encourages brain cell growth

Electrical stimulation of the brain has been found by laboratory scientists to boost the birth of new cells.

In a study, undertaken by a team from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and published by The Journal of Neuroscience, scientists found that by stimulating a specific area of the brain, new cells that enhanced memory were produced.

This illustrates how deep brain stimulation (DBS) could improve overall cognition.

"DBS has been quite effective for the treatment of movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, and has recently been explored for treatment of a range of neurologic and psychiatric conditions," said Dr Paul Frankland, senior author of the study.

An hour of electrical stimulation to the entorhinal cortex lead to a two-fold increase in new cells in the hippocampus lasting for a week, with the new cells produced during this time going on to develop normally and make strong connections.

These new cells were found to improve spatial learning.