Put on a cap that produces an electrical current and BAM, you’re a creative genius who can
always focus and is never sad.
It seems like science fiction, yet scientists are exploring a real-life thinking cap.
Hey brainiacs Julia here for DNews
Thinking caps are an old idea.
Some type of electric charge delivered to the brain to increase performance have been
around for nearly two centuries.
Yet it doesn’t have the best reputation.
Electroshock therapy recalls images of institutional torture during the mid-20th century for mental
health patients.
But in recent decades, the technique has been refined and made humane.
It’s proved very effective for even the worst cases of clinical depression and certain
conditions with seizures.
But that’s not the only type of brain stimulation used today.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is similar to electroconvulsive therapy, it
uses non-invasive electrodes placed on the scalp to send a small electric charge to stimulate
specific parts of the brain.
but it uses 1/400ths of the charge that ECT uses.
Some studies show that depending on the type of charge, positive or negative, it can reduce
concentrations of inhibitory neurotransmitters or reduce types of neurotransmitters that
excited connections between neurons.
Several studies like one published in The Journal of the American Medical Association-Psychiatry
found that it’s as effective as Zoloft in treating some cases of depression.
And several studies have explored its use as a treatment for ADHD.
Yet a recent study says tDCS might not live up to the hype.
One study published in the journal Behavior Brain Research found that it doesn’t deliver
on supercharging smarts.
The researchers tested 40 participants using the standard WAIS-IV intelligence test, a
measure of IQ before and after treatment with tDCS.
The researchers figured IQ would increase after the tDCS, partly because of familiarity
with test, but their scores would increase more than a control group’s.
But they found some surprising results.
The group who received the treatment, did worse in one area of the test that measures
logic and problem solving.
The researchers caution that not a lot is known about this technique and we don’t
know what the long term effects are.
Maybe supercharging one part of the brain could damage another.
They also stressed that, well, more research is needed.
The American military is interested in another technique that’s a little more invasive.
Deep brain stimulation involves cutting a small hole in the skull and placing an electrode…
well deep into the brain.
The devices works well as a treatment for diseases like depression and Parkinson’s.
In fact about 100,000 people use deep brain stimulation, according to the makers of one
such device.
The Military is particularly interested in using it to treat PTSD and other disorders.
In studies in mice with a type of PTSD, DBS worked better than current treatment methods
like selective serotonin uptake inhibitors.
The device could work well in a military setting by changing the neural activity in the amygdala.
The amygdala plays a role in process emotions and reactions like fear.
So DBS could dampen activity in that part of the brain when a soldier experiences a
traumatic event, basically lessing the emotion associated with that memory.
So yeah, super scienced up soldiers who experience no fear, that’s not scary at all.
So there’s clearly a lot of ethical issues surrounding these kind of technologies.
While therapeutic for some, in the wrong hands, it could change the game for what it means
to be human.
But for now if you want to improve your focus or boost your creativity either hit the gym
or drink some coffee to give you an edge.
Speaking of getting an edge in the workplace, a great website is a good place to start.
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And speaking of intelligence, is the IQ test all it's cracked up to be?
Laci takes a deeper look at what having a high IQ really means, in this video.