Must have missed this back in May. Kate’s got a cool Dad! I like the quasi-scientific approach to testing tDCS (rent an arcade shooter game). Would definitely liven up a party.
Can Brain Shocking Make Me Smarter? | BuzzFeed
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Yearly Archives: 2015
Bring On The Neuro-Revolution!
Not tDCS, but fascinating. Greg Gage @phineasgreg of BackyardBrains demonstrating a device that allowed one person to control the arm of another. I especially like his closing remarks,
This is what’s happening all across the world, electrophysiology, bring on the neuro-revolution.
See Also: Are you thinking what I’m thinking? The rise of mind control
The neuro-revolution is coming: Greg Gage’s neuroscience kits put research in the hands of the curious
Making people smarter through brain stimulation | UNM
Following up on Vincent Clark at UNM, working on the IARPA-funded SHARP project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=CptmRZzfd88
The current researchers use has a few effects including increasing chemicals in the brain that help humans encode memories. As those chemicals increase, people find it easier to learn new things. Another effect involves the applied current, which seems to alter attention so that people can attend to what they’re doing better; they can pay more attention to the task at hand.
When the researchers gave people tDCS, their score went up faster. An examination of the difference before and after shows a score that goes up about 14 percent without tDCS. With full tDCS, the score goes up about 27 percent. If they wait an hour and test again, and compare no tDCS with full tDCS, it goes up even more.
The innovators: the cloth cap that treats the brain | The Guardian
Neuroelectrics founder Ana Maiques . Photograph: Handout
Treatment is achieved by sending a low electrical current to the area of the brain in question via the electrodes for about 20 minutes, repeated over a number of sessions. Apart from a 15-second itching sensation, Maiques says that patients do not feel anything during the process. By exciting the neurons with the current, it has a positive effect on the rehabilitation of people with strokes in combination with physical therapy.
“You are artificially helping the brain to get more excited and more dynamic doing that task,” Maiques says. “Studies show that if you do this in combination with other therapies you have more of an effect. In a sense you are teaching the brain to behave in a different way. And then it is learning that behaviour.”
Source: The innovators: the cloth cap that treats the brain
Naysayer follow-up: A cap that treats depression? Check the science before getting excited
Dilbert Discovers Brain Stimulation
Shaping up to be a series of them. This is the first. Photo links to strip and click forward to see new.
Dilbert Regulates Mood With Stimulator
Solid Advice on Selecting foc.us tDCS and Accessories | SpeakWisdom
Brent Williams of SpeakWisdom shares his thoughts on the Foc.us v2 device along with his recommendations for electrodes.
The V2 Brain Stimulation Device
First, you will need a foc.us V2 stimulator device. They currently sell for about $199 and with current firmware are far beyond any of their competition in terms of versatility, capability, portability, etc. I won’t take time here to list all of the MANY things the V2 can do, but suffice it to say that manufacturers of “professional grade” tDCS, tACS, etc. equipment are probably nervous about where foc.us is driving prices and capabilities! In my opinion, the V2 is THE brain stimulation device to buy at its price point.
Source: Solid Advice on Selecting foc.us tDCS and Accessories
Brain zap: transcranial direct current stimulation I The Feed
Australian tv show explores tDCS in the treatment of depression.
BLUE Episode 7: Brain Stimulator | Air Force TV
At the Air Force research lab in Ohio Dr. Andy McKinley explores the use of tDCS to enhance vigilance and reduce learning time.
What is tDCS? – Improving Visual Memory | Neural Engineering Group
[Note (updated 8/9/15): Alex is using a research version of the mindGear device. The device as available to the general public does not include a tDCS program.]
The folks at the Neural Engineering Group (associated with Marom Bikson’s NY City College Neural Engineering Lab) are producing a series on tDCS. Here is their first episode!
My Notes: Could you force an action potential with tDCS? (TMS does)
Visual memory improved by non-invasive brain stimulation (paywall)
Richard P. Chi, Felipe Fregni, Allan W. Snyder
Dosage: mA x time, i.e. 30 mA minutes could be 1.5mA for 20 minutes.
Memory improvement montage: Anode between T8 & FT8, Cathode between T7 & FT7
This Device Can Zap Your Brain Into A State Of Zen. Is That A Good Thing? | Huff Post
The device did seem to work on some level. For 15 minutes, I experienced a light pressure on the side of my forehead while the electrodes delivered pulses. Toward the end of the session and for about an hour afterward, my brain was definitely down a notch. However, I wouldn’t describe the feeling as zen so much as vaguely stoned. This is apparently not unusual, as one of the company’s publicity reps, Mark de la Vina, told me that it makes a small percentage of users feel high. I felt a pleasant, light floatiness and noticed myself typing and speaking more slowly.
The sensation was something I could definitely get used to — although I won’t be swapping out my meditation practice for a vibe session anytime soon.
“People seek to relax … in different ways,” said Dr. Judy Iles, a University of British Columbia neuroethicist. “But why it is better or safer than exercise, meditation or fresh air or other healthy lifestyle behaviors is not evident.”
The bottom line? Early adopters are essentially part of an experiment. Casual users might replace the evening cocktail with an occasional zap, but until more research is done, you’d be wise to think twice before replacing your morning coffee with a jolt to the head.
Source: This Device Can Zap Your Brain Into A State Of Zen. Is That A Good Thing?
It don’t mean a thing if the brain ain’t got that swing | UC Berkeley News
Not tDCS but these are certainly exciting times. Some breakthroughs heading our way. Paper: Oscillatory dynamics coordinating human frontal networks in support of goal maintenance [Paywall]
The anterior (blue) and posterior (orange) regions of the prefrontal cortex sync up to communicate cognitive goals to one another. (Image courtesy of Bradley Voytek)
Voytek and fellow researchers at UC Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute measured electrical activity in the brains of cognitively healthy epilepsy patients. They found that, as the mental exercises became more demanding, theta waves at 4-8 Hertz or cycles per second synchronized within the brain’s frontal lobe, enabling it to connect with other brain regions, such as the motor cortex.
“In these brief moments of synchronization, quick communication occurs as the neurons between brain regions lock into these frequencies, and this measure is critical in a variety of disorders,” said Voytek, an assistant professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego who conducted the study as a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at UC Berkeley.
Source: It don’t mean a thing if the brain ain’t got that swing | UC Berkeley News
See Also: voyteklab.com
Timed starts in foc.us firmware 2.1
Impressive! Foc.us has just released a software upgrade that will allow replication of the lucid dreaming protocol outlined in a recent study called, “Induction of self awareness in dreams through frontal low current stimulation of gamma activity“. It will be some weeks before we start to hear back from users, but you have to hand it to Foc.us for keeping their ears open to what ‘the community‘ is interested in.
foc.us firmware 2.1
Timing is everything.
Now if you update your foc.us v2 with the new 2.1 firmware you can set your stimulation to start in the future. Why? To sleep, per chance to dream.It seems many of you are trying to recreate the Voss, Nitsche 2014 Lucid Dreaming paper published in Nature. So we have created a program with the settings and a timer for you to set based on your sleep pattern. You will still need to estimate when you will be in REM but the program has a 10 min window for you to aim at.
More Thoughts on Thync
Just because it’s come up quite a bit lately on the tDCS subReddit , I thought to re-publish this link to a talk Jamie Tyler gave just prior to the release of their device, where he explains his understanding of what’s going on, as well as their intentions. Jamie’s intro starts at 45:46. He begins his explanation of how Thync’s device works at 52:46.
Thync paper referenced in talk: http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/06/03/015032
Thync patent application: https://www.google.com/patents/US20140148872?dq=thync
(My Notes: FDA, ‘limited output’, exempt from pre-market notification, or 510 k process. Below average current of 10mA, current density below 2mA per square centimeter.)
This Gadget Gives You a Low-Voltage Pick-Me-Up – WSJ
After more than a dozen Thync sessions, I’d consider keeping one around to use when I need a chill pill or some encouragement to go to the gym. It’s not a perfect replacement for coffee or wine—more delicious, not to mention social, ways to shift my state of mind. But Thync is a drug-free alternative. It’s just less well understood.
Getting the hang of digitally vibing out takes a few days. The hardest part is applying the tortilla-chip-shaped gadget to your head so it can access the right nerves. Pick the wrong spot and you get the brain-freeze effect; place it too loosely and you get a burning sensation. It uses a gooey disposable strip (sold in $20 packs of five). The other end of the strip goes behind your ear or at the base of your neck to allow the electricity to complete a circuit.
There’s potential for user error, though not self-harm, Thync says, if you follow instructions. (Thync provides guidance via a manual, online videos and live chat.)
Source: This Gadget Gives You a Low-Voltage Pick-Me-Up – WSJ
Foc.us ‘Moovs’ Electrodes
Foc.us recently released a new set of electrodes that addresses many of the issues customers and reviewers had with previous releases.
Also very impressed to see this on their website.
Coming soon… foc.us+
Connect and share with others like youUsing foc.us+ you can find experts who can help tailor the perfect program for your neuro-modulation needs. Track your progress, monitor your improvements. take charge
Foc.us is definitely listening and doing their best to stay one step ahead of everybody else.