A 9V Battery to Your Brain can Improve Your Gaming Skills

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Are you desperate to take your video game performance to the next level – and willing to indulge in some high-risk behavior? Hint: you’ll need a 9-volt battery and a wet sponge! Researchers in New Mexico claim that a faint electric massage to the brain improved the performances of volunteers playing the war simulator games. The electric current was produced by a device running on a 9-volt battery and delivered to the volunteers via a moistened sponge applied to their right temple.

The technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), uses a simple circuit driven by a 9 Volt battery to provide electrical stimulation directly to the brain. This can improve everything from visual perception and memory to motor control, depending on where the electrodes are placed on the skull.

Scientists hope the methods could be used to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke and autism, as well as to improve learning by increasing the brain’s plasticity. Researchers are beginning to understand how an external electrical current affects brain function, including by inducing changes to the flow of electricity across neurons and increasing the expression of certain synapse proteins. 


Source: Nature.com