Zapping brains to boost memory
Our memories are central to who we are as humans and how we interact with the world around us. We all know that memory deteriorates as we get older, but poor memory also results from a range of brain disorders, like schizophrenia and dementia. Memory impairments often have a devastating impact on social function and quality of life, however there are currently no effective treatments for improving memory. My research focuses on a new approach for enhancing memory which uses non-invasive magnetic pulses to stimulate and reorganise brain pathways.
In this talk, I will discuss how the brain stores short-term memories and how these storage mechanisms are impacted by healthy aging and brain disorders. I will then describe how we are using brain stimulation to improve the way the brain stores memories with the aim of developing new and effective treatments for memory impairment.
Bio
Dr. Nigel Rogasch heads the Brain Stimulation, Imaging, and Cognition research group at the University of Adelaide and SA Health and Medical Research Institute. He holds a PhD from Monash University and has worked both in Australia (Melbourne, Adelaide) and overseas (Canada, Germany, Turkey). Nigel’s research investigates the brain mechanisms underlying memory ability, how these mechanisms are altered with aging and brain disorders, and new brain stimulation-based approaches for improving memory. He has received awards from the Australasian Brain Stimulation Society (Australia), BrainBox Initiative (UK), and Brain and Behaviour Foundation (USA), and was SA Tall Poppy of the Year (2019).
Event
8:30pm @The Republic, 120 Magill Road, Norwood SA 5067
Also speaking at this location at 6:30pm is Scott Zarcinas
