Brain Training Increases Dopamine
Release
PRESS RELEASE, 5 August 2011 and as published in Journal of Science
Posted by A.N.Loganathan
In a new study in Science, researchers from
Karolinska Institutet, Umeå University, Åbo Akademi University, and the
University of Turku show for the first time that working-memory training is
associated with an increased release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in
specific brain regions.
"Working-memory
training resulted in increased dopamine release in the caudate, a region
located below the neocortex, in which the dopaminergic influx is particularly
large", says Lars Bäckman, Professor at Karolinska Institutet, and one of
the scientists behind the study. "This observation demonstrates the
importance of dopamine for improving working-memory performance."
In
the study, 10 young Finnish men were trained in updating working memory for
five weeks by means of a letter-memory task. The participants were presented
with 7 to 15 letters during 45 minutes three times per week on a screen that
was turned off after presentation. The task was to remember the last four
letters in the sequence in correct order.
Compared to a control group that did
not receive any training, the trained group showed a gradual improvement of
working-memory performance. Results from a PET scan demonstrated an increased
release of dopamine in the caudate after training. In addition, dopamine
release was seen during the letter-memory task also before training; this
release increased markedly after training.
Further,
improvements after training were demonstrated in an untrained task that also
requires updating.
"These
findings suggest that the training improved working memory generally",
says Professor Lars Nyberg at Umeå University.
Benefit for Working- memory
“Working memory is the cognitive function responsible for keeping information online, manipulating it, and using it in your thinking. It is the way that you delegate the things you encounter to the parts of our brain that can take action. In this way, working memory is necessary for Leaning, staying focused on a task, blocking out distractions, and keeping you updated and aware about what’s going on around you.” Cognition Medical
Training
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