Brain Juice!

The title above does not refer to a new fangle, dangle nutritional supplement.  Instead, it’s more exciting news – and something that works.  At one time, a search on www.clinicaltrials.gov returned 40 hits of various studies exploring an exciting new technology mentioned in this blog’s first book review: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Transcranial direct current stimulation is not nearly so burly as the treatment known as “shock therapy,” technically known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).  Instead, it uses a weaker electric current, a thousand times less powerful than with ECT.  Treatments do not require muscle relaxers or involve artificially induced seizures.  Typically, they last approximately 10 to 20 minutes, and only the only apparent physical effect is a mild tingling sensation.  The weak electric current barely penetrates the skull, and only stimulates the surface of the brain as far as is known.  However, the psychological effect is quite powerful.  Illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, addiction, migraines, chronic pain and the brain damage of stroke are being studied by tDCS researchers.

In order to treat any illness, researchers place the electrodes over the brain areas which are either over active, or under active.  The brain areas are identified via cross-referencing previous knowledge which links spots on the skull under which the brain area is located.  If a patient is hallucinating aurally, or hearing sounds that are not really there, the brain area responsible for audible processing is likely over-active, and so a special sponge-like electrode is place over that area.  The polarity of this electrode determines if that brain area will increase or decrease in activity.  In this case, it would decrease the activity.  On the other hand, if someone is depressed, the left prefrontal cortex may be stimulated into greater activity using tDCS.

Another interesting application of tDCS is performance enhancement.  Not only for the sick, performance enhancement with tDCS could make people with learning disabilities excel in math, reading comprehension, and improve their attention span.  Perhaps one day sports psychologists may even use it to overcome performance anxiety, and better ingrain new skills into athletes.  There is military and law enforcement use for tDCS in that regard, as well.  tDCS is relatively safe, but should only be used by a trained clinician.  In other words, if you want some brain juice, don’t squeeze it at home.