A New Twist To Putting Your Thinking Cap On

The online edition of NewScientist reports that a PhD student researcher at the Centre for the Mind, at the University of Sidney, Richard Chi, has developed a non-invasive technique which seems to boost visual memory and perceptual skills of humans by an order of 110%.  By using electrodes placed near the left and right temples, Chi applies a weak current which temporarily depresses activity in the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and increases activity in the right ATL.  The resulting effect was a jump of 110% in the ability of test subjects compared to groups where the decrease/increase of activity in the ATL was reversed and where there was no stimulation of the ATL.  The NewScientist article explained:

The technique uses transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in which weak electrical currents are applied to the scalp using electrodes. The method can temporarily increase or decrease activity in a specific brain region and has already been shown to boost verbal and motor skills in volunteers.

...The left ATL is known to be crucial for context processing, among other things, while the right ATL is associated with visual memory. Chi's team suggests that inhibiting activity in the left ATL cuts errors in visual memory by reducing the potentially confusing influence that context can have on recognition. This effect, combined with an increase in activity in the right ATL, allows someone to be more aware of the literal details of each pattern. Further studies in which the temporal lobes are stimulated individually may help to distinguish the underlying mechanisms involved.

A previous experiment using the same visual task, but without tDCS, showed that people with autism outperformed non-autistic individuals by roughly the same margin as the improvement seen in this experiment, says Chi.

In future, Chi says, it might eventually be possible to use tDCS to "develop a 'thinking cap' that enhances learning".

One aspect of a future of accelerating technology will be how technology along with reverse engineering of the brain is used to leverage and enhance our brain's capabilities.  In an post on Beautiful Minds blog at PsychologyToday.com Scott Kaufman shares an interview with Allan Snyder, also of the Centre for the Mind about our ability to boost brain capacity and creativity in the near future.

S. Do you see any way your methods could enhance higher thinking processes?

Yes. For example, using non-invasive brain stimulation could aid in problem solving and decision making, by allowing someone to examine things from a variety of perspectives, without being so committed to previous interpretations. And we're examining its potential for enhancing creativity.

A. Is an artist 'cheating' if he induces his artistic skills each time he creates a work of art?

Interesting question. It's well documented that artists though the ages have used psychoactive drugs to facilitate creative production. You could view non-invasive brain stimulation as a much milder and safer alternative method of opening 'the doors of perception'. On the other hand, if brain stimulation was only available to a select few amongst many competing for a prize or similar, that might be an unfair situation. But, we tend to put less value today on photographic realism - these aren't the times of Constable

I'm very excited to think that this could well represent a first step in really accessing our brains memory capacity.  I'll be interested to see if  learning conducted under the effects of tDCS is effective for long term memory when a person isn't under those effects.  Snyder's hints at the social impact of the differences between those who benefit from access to brain stimulation vs those who don't have access deserves a great deal of thought.