Theta-Burst Microstimulation in the Human Entorhinal Area Improves Memory Specificity

Authors

Ali S. Titiz, University of California, Los Angeles
Michael R. H. Hill, University of California, Los Angeles
Emily A. Mankin, University of California, Los Angeles
Zahra M. Aghajan, University of California, Los Angeles
Dawn Eliashiv, University of California, Los Angeles
Natalia Tchemodanov, University of California, Los Angeles
Uri Maoz, Chapman UniversityFollow
John Stern, University of California, Los Angeles
Michelle E. Tran, University of California, Los Angeles
Peter Schuette, University of California, Los Angeles
Eric Behnke, University of California, Los Angeles
Nanthia A. Suthana, University of California, Los Angeles
Itzhak Fried, University of California, Los Angeles

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-24-2017

Abstract

The hippocampus is critical for episodic memory, and synaptic changes induced by long-term potentiation (LTP) are thought to underlie memory formation. In rodents, hippocampal LTP may be induced through electrical stimulation of the perforant path. To test whether similar techniques could improve episodic memory in humans, we implemented a microstimulation technique that allowed delivery of low-current electrical stimulation via 100 μm-diameter microelectrodes. As thirteen neurosurgical patients performed a person recognition task, microstimulation was applied in a theta-burst pattern, shown to optimally induce LTP. Microstimulation in the right entorhinal area during learning significantly improved subsequent memory specificity for novel portraits; participants were able both to recognize previously-viewed photos and reject similar lures. These results suggest that microstimulation with physiologic level currents—a radical departure from commonly used deep brain stimulation protocols—is sufficient to modulate human behavior and provides an avenue for refined interrogation of the circuits involved in human memory.

Comments

This article was originally published in eLife, volume 6, in 2017. DOI:10.7554/eLife.29515

Recommended Citation

Titiz AS, Hill MRH, Mankin EA, et al. Theta-burst microstimulation in the human entorhinal area improves memory specificity. eLife. 2017;6:e29515. doi: 10.7554/eLife.29515

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.