Working memory - new brain research

- Fri, 14 Sep 2007

Sophisticated new scanning technology is allowing scientists to map the functions of minute parts of the brain in astonishing detail.

Researchers at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT explain that in a technological breakthrough, similar to upgrading the family's digital camera to a model with more pixels, new high resolution brain scans can accurately pinpoint 'zones' within the brain responsible for various functions. And they have discovered that these are far more specialised than was previously understood.

For example, it was thought that our ability to identify people by their appearance was done by one zone of the brain. Now, by being able to zoom in more closely, they have found that in fact there are two zones sitting side by side, with one responsible solely for facial recognition, the other for bodies. This has exciting consequences for the treatment of people who suffer from an inability to recognise faces even of family and friends. The team is now using their high resolution equipment to drill down even further within these newly identified 'face' and 'body' recognition zones within the structure of the brain.

Headstrong brain games stimulate these zones responsible for facial recognition. These scientifically formulated brain training exercises are designed to stimulate all the pathways associated with intelligence, including face recognition, keeping memory from deteriorating as we age, and aiding in the prevention of age-related brain illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer's.