Electrical stimulation could help brain focus on tasks, researchers say

Forget using caffeine to help you focus on tasks - imagine stimulating the brain with a jolt of electricity instead.

That's what researchers at Vanderbilt University are doing using electrical stimulation to speed up the brain and help it learn from mistakes.

Laura McClenahan isn't just playing a game. This fitted red cap is actually stimulating her brain.

"It feels like a mild, itching sensation," she said.

In a new study published in the Journal Neuroscience, researchers at Vanderbilt University are proving it's possible to manipulate our ability to learn by using a mild electrical current.

"So, essentially we can make you learn faster with 20 minutes of non-invasive electrical stimulation," said Robert Reinhart, PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University.

Reinhart says the thinking cap activates the frontal lobe, the part of the brain involved in problem-solving, memory and judgment.

"We've found a way to causally up-regulate, increase and boost these brain activities related to monitoring," Reinhart said.

Not only can you learn faster, but depending on the direction of the current, your mental performance can also be slowed down.

"It's also systematic and reliable, and enough for us to be satisfied with gaining that kind of causal control," Reinhart said.

Researchers say the learning effects last about five hours.

Electrical current therapy is also being studied for mental health conditions to see if, in the future, the technology could also be used to treat schizophrenia and ADHD.

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