Sensory camera could help people remember
25 March 2009
A wide-angle lens camera which can be worn and takes pictures at regular intervals could help people with amnesia recover memories, research suggests.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry with Practical Neurology, investigated the impact images from a sensory camera had on a patient’s amnesia.
The research, led by Microsoft Research in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, found SenseCam improved memory recall in a patient who suffered from memory loss.
The researchers suggest a larger group study might show this device could help all people suffering from amnesia and potentially people who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
SenseCam, developed by Microsoft Research, is a wearable digital camera which takes wide-angle images every 30 seconds without the user needing to press a button. It is designed to capture what a person sees and, in viewing the images again, helps them actually remember the experience themselves.
The study focused on 66-year-old Mrs B who was diagnosed in 2002 with limbic encephalitis which caused her to have severe problems with memory recall. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans, researchers were able to track Mrs B’s brain activity. Mrs B did not simply recall the images but was able to remember experiences through thoughts, feelings and other events not shown in the images.
Lead author Dr Emma Berry, clinical neuropsychologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and the University of Hertfordshire, said: “Until now, the neural basis for our patient’s memory improvement has been unknown.
“But through the results of this study, we’ve found evidence to suggest that these events were remembered and not just learned from excessive exposure of the SenseCam images. Our fMRI study shows that when she [Mrs B] looks at the images, she not only remembers the event, which is incredible given the level of her amnesic syndrome, but that she activates parts of the brain associated with normal episodic memory.”
The fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) study is one of a number taking place globally to determine the impact of SenseCam on patients with severe memory loss.
No other device, tool or method has been as effective as SenseCam on people who ordinarily would forget a significant, meaningful event within days of it happening.
Dr Adrian Owen, a Senior Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit where the patient was scanned, said: “Brain Imaging techniques such as fMRI are now beginning to contribute dramatically to our understanding of the causes of various clinical diseases and how devastating conditions such as profound memory loss might best be tackled. This is one very exciting example of that. Our brain scans show why this patient has such a poor memory, but more importantly, they give us some important new clues about how it is that SenseCam improves it.”
Dr Steve Hodges, principal hardware engineer and manager of the sensors and devices group at Microsoft Research Cambridge, said: “It’s clear that SenseCam has a huge potential both as a memory aid and as a tool for clinicians to better understand cognitive brain functions and further advance the study of neuroscience.
“We’re really excited to be able to extend the project to actively involve so many leading researchers and clinicians around the world. Ultimately, if we can conclusively demonstrate that SenseCam can improve memory, and thereby the quality of life, in patients with amnesia and memory loss from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, that would be an absolutely tremendous result.”
Press contact: 020 7637 6011
press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Notes:
Original research paper: The neural basis of effective memory therapy in a patient with limbic encephalitis is published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry with Practical Neurology; doi:10.1136/jnnp.2008.164251
For more information about SenseCam, please visit www.research.microsoft.com/sensecam
The MRC currently funds a number of studies into the causes of dementia and how to prevent, identify and treat it. These include studying drug treatments for managing Alzheimer’s symptoms, supporting tissue banks around the country that hold brain tissue and research into ‘biomarkers’ that might improve diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Achievementsimpact/Healthtopic/Dementias/MRC002031
