Devices that send a weak electrical
current through your brain via head-
mounted electrodes are marketed online
as cognitive enhancers. Transcranial
Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) –
not to be confused with Transcranial
Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) – is claimed
by those who sell it to speed up reactions,
calm you down, help you focus, increase
physical endurance and improve more
or less any mental skill you want.
Although it sounds gimmicky, there is
actually a vast amount of solid evidential
support for tDCS both as a treatment (for
pain, depression, tinnitus, dementia and
much else) and for enhancement.When it is used correctly, it is
extraordinarily safe, and comparatively
cheap – you can get a tDCS kit for about
£100 (` 80,000).
However, like brain training, tDCS has
not yet shown itself capable of improving
overall cognition (rather than individual
functions), and much of what’s known
about it has come from a large, dedicated
band of DIY researchers, and, as a result, is
anecdotal and/or difficult to assess.
Judge the evidence for yourself at
http://www.reddit.com/r/tDCS/.Rita Carter is a science writer, lecturer
and broadcaster, specialising in the brain.Devices that use tDCS (transcranial
Direct Current Stimulation) to ‘boost
your brain’ are widely available,
though scientific evidence
that they do so is hard to findPHOTOS: GETTY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY IMAGES
ELECTRICAL STIMULATION
| THE HUMAN BRAINSCIENCE