If you read the previous blog post on TDCS, then you will quickly understand the basics of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). A group led by Joel Voss at Northwestern just published a small study (16 people) in the Journal Science showing that after intensive fMRI brain mapping and five 20-minute TMS sessions, participants improved memory performance by 30%. This is quite amazing and in line with other studies. The key to this study is that the researchers first mapped the brain determining which regions of the brain synched closely with hippocampal neural networks. While a 30% improvement in memory is amazing, the work and cost involved make this technique unsuitable for the average person. However, there are easier ways to improve memory!
A couple of years ago, I published a slightly larger study (62 Stanford students) in the Journal of Appetite showing that chewing Think Gum improved memory by over 25%. The great thing about Think Gum is that it requires no brain mapping, no fMRI, no team of neuroscientists and no TMS device. All you need is $2.49 and a mouth.
We have BIG news to report today. As some people may know, over the past 2 years we at Think Gum LLC have been conducting a study to determine if Think Gum® really works and, if so, how well it can improve memory.
The study was just published in the peer reviewed Journal of Appetite and demonstrates that Think Gum® can be used to improve aspects of memory. In the study, 62 students chewed either no chewing gum, regular bubble gum or Think Gum® during a series of paper-based and online tests used to measure concentration and memory. For example, one test asked the chewers to memorize a list of 15 random words. After taking the tests, students were asked to rate their alertness, concentration and performance. The following day the same students chewed no chewing gum, regular bubble gum or Think Gum® and completed additional follow-up memory tests to measure long-term memory.
The students who chewed Think Gum® performed significantly better in the memory tests. The magnitude of memory improvement was dramatic. On average, the students in the Think Gum® group remembered over 25% more than those students who chewed regular chewing gum. Additionally, those students in the Think Gum® group felt significantly more alert, felt that they could better concentrate and felt enhanced performance as compared to the other groups.
This study suggests that Think Gum® “would also improve information recall in real-world situations, such as during standardized testing, and would therefore be a beneficial study aid.”
Davidson, M. G. Herbal-caffeinated chewing gum, but not bubble gum, improves aspects of memory. Appetite (2011), doi:10.1016/j.appet.2011.04.019
We are thrilled by the results of this study and want to tell the world about it! If you would like more information about the study or want a quote or interview please send an e-mail to Press@ThinkGum.com
I received some information many months ago from a grammar school student who did a study on Think Gum®. The student named Erin wanted to know if “chewing gum while taking a test makes a significant difference to the student’s test grade”. To test this idea, Erin gave 6 classmates either Think Gum®, Bazooka Gum or no gum and then had them do a 60 second multiplication test. After repeating the experiment 8 times Erin calculated the average scores. Not surprisingly, both Bazooka and Think Gum® raised scores compared to the no chewing gum control. Of course Think Gum® increased scores by 6% over Bazooka which any student can tell you is the difference between a failing and passing grade.
Erin took the Gold at her science fair and ended up getting silver at regionals.
Thanks to Erin for this great study! Hopefully you have inspired others to try Think Gum® out in their next science fair.