Study says memory can be boosted by electric shocks. We take it for granted, but practically all of our daily activities depend on having a memory. Talking, reading, understanding, socializing—these all depend on having learned and stored information about our environments.
It’s our memory that allows us to retrieve events from moments ago or from the distant past, enabling us to form habits and learn new skills. If we were unable to access past experiences or information, we’d also be unable to recognize our friends or family, find our way home, understand language, or even knot our neckties. Life would be a series of disconnected experiences—each one new and unfamiliar. Without any sort of memory, we’d quickly perish.
But that’s exactly what happens to six million Americans and 30 million people worldwide who get struck by Alzheimer’s disease. The sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth leading cause of death for people 65 and older, it’s a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior.