A small electrical zap to the brain could help you retrieve a forgotten memory

According to recent study by UCLA psychologists provides strong evidence that a certain region of the brain plays a critical role in memory recall. Now research that has been published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, showed for the first time that with the use of an electrical current stimulate that particular  region, the left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, which  helps to improves people's ability to retrieve memories.

We found that dramatically improved memory performance , when we increased the excitability of this region, said Jesse Rissman, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology, and of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, the study's senior author. The left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex is responsible for high-level thought, which includes monitoring and integrating information processed in other areas of the brain. This area is located behind the left side of the forehead, between the eyebrow and the hairline which plays important role in supporting the integration of abstract as often self-generated, thoughts.

The technique is called transcranial direct current stimulation, or TDCS, gives most people a warm, mild tingling sensation for the first few minutes. This is a form of neurostimulation  where very low levels of constant current are delivered to specifically targeted areas of the brain only occasionally producing these profound results.