As busy and overachieving Bronxville students, we would all love to hear that there is a miraculous way we can speed up our studying. Well, much to everyone’s excitement, a possible solution is in the works. Andy McKinley and colleagues at the Air Force Research Laboratory recently reported their findings of a mild electrical current that could cut training timing for pilots in half. The current stimulation, TDCS, is delivered through EEG (electroencephalographic) electrodes place on the scalp. Mckliney says that it is incomparable to any other cognitive boosts, like caffeine or other stimulants. TDCS not only accelerated leaning, but also increased pilot’s accuracy time. The question now is whether these findings will hold up over time or will stay in the “dustbin” of pseudoscience. Electrical stimulation has a long history extending back to the 19th century when “electrotherapy” was used to treat a wide range of conditions. Skeptics are questioning whether just like then the placebo effect is working in this case with TDCS. Subjects say that feel a slight tingling, but afterwards they definitely do feel more alert and researchers are now working diligently to find out why that is. By magnifying magnetic fields (brain waves), they have concluded that TDCS increases cerebral cortex excitability, thereby heightening arousal and increasing responses to sensory input. All of this accelerates information processing in cortical circuits. Interestingly, MRI brain scans have revealed that the fiber bundles in the brain were found to be more robust and organized days after TDCS. An expert on brain imaging, Robert Turner speculated that this change could be from an increase in insulation in the fibers that would speed transmission of information through the fibers. Matthis Wikowski, another leading neurobiologist, described the findings as “incredible.” He looks to do further research and is convinced that these new studies can accelerate many kinds of learning. He sees it being used to speed up a patient’s rehabilitation after an injury, since they would be able to learn to use prosthetic limbs faster. By using electricity to energize neural circuits, resarchers are hopeful that they have found a harmless and drug-free way to double the speed of learning.
This study is important to humanity because it could potentially revolutionize the way we learn. Americans are always looking for the fastest and most effective ways to study and better themselves. Right now, most people just satisfy themselves with a cup of coffee as a cognitive stimulator, but this TDCS opens up a whole new dimension of possibility. TDCS were initially developed to help train pilots to guide unmanned attack drones, but I think the idea of using it to help patients recover from injuries is genius. The possibilities are really endless and I think as students of science, we should be excited at this fascinating discovery.
I thought that this article was very well written and extremely interesting. It was thorough in its discussions not only about how TDCS works, but also what other leading scientists think about it and its potential implications for the future.
This article could have only be improved if they kept some of the nomenclature under control. It was heavy on very complicated medical terms, that left me a little confused. It would have been better if they kept it in simple, laymen’s terms that were easy to grasp. Overall I thought this was a fascinating article and I am excited to see what happens with this new stimulant.
Fields , Douglas. “Amping Up Brain Function: Transcranial Stimulation Shows promise in Speeding up Learning.” Scientific American. Nov. 25 2011. Dec 14 2011.
The article Ally picked is very exciting! It would be phenomenal if there was an easier way to study. She did a great job presenting all of the aspects of the article and this new possible solution to studying. She stated what it was and explained how it worked as well as stated what some other scientists thought of the new experimental stimulant, making it a vey interesting and thorough review. I liked how she applied it to the students of Bronxville, making the article more relatable. Ally made a great point connecting TDCS, the current stimulation, to the typical stimulants that students use now, coffee and caffeine.
ReplyDeleteTo make this review a little better I would suggest that Ally have used simpler terms. Although she does state in her review that there were a lot of scientific terms in the article that made it hard for her to read, I would have been nice if she had applied that complaint to her own review. I would have also loved it if she went into the 19th century “electrotherapy” treatments a little more, connecting or contrasting them to the new TDCS.
I found it really interesting that shock would increase the memory by exciting the cerebral cortex, increasing the sensory input. It makes sense though because I have found that when I have a shock to my system, a surprise or scare, I am especially alert and sensitive to what is going on around me. I would be curious to see what the effects are on the brain long term before I invested in a shock system for my studying.
Amanda Austi
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Comment of Ally’s: Amping Up Brain Function: Transcranial Stimulation Shows promise in Speeding up Learning
Ally did a very good job presenting this article. One thing that she did well was she had an engaging hook. Not only did she relate it to Bronxville students, but she also made it personable and interesting. This really interested me. Another thing I thought she did well was she made a very nice link to Americans. She stated that “Americans are always looking for the fastest and most effective ways to study and better themselves”. I think this link is accurate. Last, I think she did a good job emphasizing the importance of this scientific finding. She kept stressing how this was revolutionary; saying how we used to turn to caffeine for energy, but now there are going to be new ways to keep us going.
Although Ally’s review was well written, there are some things that can be improved. First, I think that she could have explained what the TDCS actually is. The idea is extremely confusing and it would have made it more clear if she explained how it works and less on its function. Second, I think it would have been extremely interesting if she elaborated more on the 19th century electrotherapy treatments. It would have been nice to compare how technology has changed.
One thing that I learned from this article was that the TDCS would be delivered through EEF (electroencephalographic) electrodes placed on the scalp. Its main role would be to stimulate people by shock. I think this might work because it would get people to focus more. It would excite them to complete the task at hand. I think that this would be amazing not only for students, but also for anyone who just needs an extra wake-up call. However, this concept could get a little scary. It could be taken advantage of and people could get hurt by constantly using the stimulator. Also, people could become dependent on the stimulator and would not be able to function with out it. Overall, I thought Ally’s review was extremely interesting and well done.