High-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting hippocampal-cortical brain networks can improve age-related decline in long-term memory, new research shows, according to Medscape.

Age-related memory loss is due to declining function of the hippocampal brain network.

"Our study is the first to show that the function of this brain network can be improved in older adults with brain stimulation, leading to memory improvement," lead investigator Joel Voss, PhD, associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told Medscape Medical News.

"After receiving stimulation, older adults with normal age-related memory decline performed just as well on memory tests as younger adults in their 20s and 30s," said Voss.

The study was published online April 17 in Neurology.