9V battery pumps up your gaming skills
April 17th 2011 10:07
We've already seen how positioning magnets near the brain can influence brain function, but now researchers are experimenting with zapping the skull directly with a mild electric current, to help the brain operate at a higher level.
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.
In a study funded by DARPA, volunteers were asked to play a game called DARWARS Ambush! created to help train soldiers. It was found that those playing with a 2 mA buzz running through their heads played about twice as well as a control group who only got a tiny amount of the juice.
While this might sound like a great way to improve your World Of Warcraft play, the researchers were very careful to say that absolutely nobody should attempt this without the clinical supervision provided by the study. After all, we wouldn't want you to fry your brain.
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