Memory improves with a little zap from this device

With age, many people start forgetting things.

But memories might get a boost from an electromagnetic device that gives your brain a little zap.

A small group of older people experienced improved memory function after being given transcranial magnetic stimulation.

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After five days they were performing memory tasks as well as a group of younger adults.

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago say the device uses a magnetic field that is turned on and off rapidly. However, there's no electricity passing through the skull..

Unfortunately - the effects wore off within a week. The study's author said it's possible that stimulating people for longer periods, or changing the stimulation in some way, memory improvement could be longer-lasting.

The report appears in the Journal Neurology.