Want to boost memory? Try deep brain stimulation

When you think weight loss, deep brain stimulation is probably the last thing that would come to your mind. But that didn't stop Canadian doctors from trying it on a middle-aged man suffering from morbid obesity. They had tried traditional treatments, and he didn't want gastric bypass surgery. So, they hooked electrodes up to his brain and tried to see if they could stimulate the hypothalamus.

This was meant to try and curb his desire to eat. But instead what they discovered was that the jolt stimulated memories from 30 years ago! The man felt like he was 20 again with memories of hanging out at the park with friends.

After the recollections got more intense, they ran some tests to determine how the deep brain stimulation affected memory performance. With the electrodes on, he did much better on these tests than when they were off. This is an interesting outcome they discovered accidentally, but no word on whether or not the stimulation helped his obesity!