Figuring out how to enhance human mental abilities is of great interest to researchers in psychology and neuroscience. like me for decades. From improving alertness in high-stakes settings like air traffic control to restoring memory in people with dementia, the ability to improve cognitive function can have far-reaching implications. According to new research, brain stimulation It may help achieve the goal of enhancing mental function.
in the Reinhardt Laboratory At Boston University, my colleagues and I have been investigating the effects of new brain stimulation techniques. Transcranial AC stimulation, or tACS – On different mental functions in patients and healthy people.
In this procedure, you wear an elastic cap with embedded electrodes that send a weak electrical current to your scalp that oscillates at a specific frequency. By applying these controlled currents to specific brain regions, brain activity can be altered. Move neurons to fire rhythmically.
Why is it beneficial to have neurons firing rhythmically? Studies show that brain cells communicate effectively when they adjust the rhythm of firing. Importantly, these rhythmic patterns of brain activity are noticeable abnormality During neuropsychiatric illness. The purpose of tACS is to externally induce rhythmic brain activity that promotes healthy mental function, especially when the brain is unable to generate rhythms on its own.
However, tACS is a relatively new technology and its mechanism is still unknown. Whether brain rhythms can be enhanced or reinstated to alter mental function is a subject of considerable debate in the field of brain stimulation. While some research has been done find evidence Some researchers have suggested that tACS alters brain activity and mental function, and that electrical currents that people normally use may play a role. maybe too weak have a direct effect.
When faced with conflicting data in the scientific literature, it may be helpful to conduct some kind of research. called meta-analysis It quantifies the consistency of evidence across multiple studies. Previous meta-analysis conducted in 2016 found promising evidence On the use of tACS in altering mental function. However, the number of studies has more than doubled since then. The design of the tACS technology also increasingly sophisticated.
We set out to perform a new meta-analysis of studies using tACS to alter mental function.As far as we know, this work Largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis Research on this subject comprises over 100 published studies with a total of over 2,800 human participants.
After compiling more than 300 measures of mental function across all studies, we observed the following: Consistent and immediate improvement Study of mental function with tACS. When looking at specific cognitive functions such as memory and attention, we observed that tACS produced the strongest improvements. Executive functionor the ability to adapt in the face of new, surprising, or conflicting information.
They also observed an improvement in their ability to pay attention and retain information, both in the short and long term. Taken together, these results suggest that tACS may be able, at least in the short term, to improve certain types of mental function in particular.
To examine the efficacy of tACS for people who are particularly vulnerable to altered mental function, we examined data from studies involving older adults and people with neuropsychiatric disorders. Convincing evidence was observed in both populations. Improved cognitive function with tACS.
Interestingly, we also found that a specialized type of tACS that could simultaneously target two brain regions and manipulate how they communicated with each other could achieve both functions. enhances or impairs cognitive function. This bidirectional effect on mental function may be particularly useful in the clinic. For example, some psychiatric disorders such as depression may be accompanied by a reduced ability to process rewards, while psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder may be accompanied by a hyperactive state. Compensation processing system. If tACS can alter mental function in either direction, researchers may be able to develop flexible and targeted designs to meet specific clinical needs.
Advances in the tACS field are bringing researchers closer to safe, drug-free, non-invasive ways to enhance mental function. Current statistical evidence across the literature suggests that tACS has promise and that improved design could lead to powerful and long-lasting changes in mental function.
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