Be careful out there.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=155489&CultureCode=en
People show impaired memory after receiving low intensity electrical
stimulation administered to the frontal part of the brain by a
commercial, freely available, device. Psychologists Laura Steenbergen
and Lorenza Colzato, with their colleagues at the Leiden Institute of
Brain and Cognition and fellow researchers from the Max Planck Institute
on Human Development, published their findings in Experimental Brain
Research.
Commercial non-invasive brain stimulation device to the test
Following the prominent suggestion by several eminent research
institutes and scientists, Steenbergen and colleagues were the first to
investigate whether and to what degree the application of a commercial
non-invasive brain stimulation device, called transcranial direct
current stimulation (tDCS), improves cognitive performance, as
advertised in the media. “Given the potential risks of misusing tDCS,
and given that long-term effects on the brain have not been fully
explored, there is a need for more research and for regulations or
official guidelines for the personal use of tDCS” Steenbergen says.
The research method
24 healthy participants received a low intensity current administered
by electrodes to the frontal part of the brain through the scalp by
means of a commercial tDCS device (foc.us headset - v.1). People came to
the lab twice and received a sham (fake stimulation) or a mild
electrical current which facilitates the activation of neurons in the
targeted region. During and after the stimulation, Steenbergen asked
participants to perform a working memory task in which they had to
update remembered information.
Working memory impaired
Compared to when the participants received the fake stimulation, the
active stimulation impaired memory performance. Colzato: “Even if
preliminary, these results show the fundamental critical and active role
of the scientific community in evaluating the sometimes far-reaching,
sweeping claims from the brain training industry with regard to the
impact of their products on cognitive performance.”
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00221-015-4391-9
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