Shocks to the brain improve mathematical abilities

by EWEN CALLAWAY

A gentle electrical stimulation to the brain improved university students’ abilities at performing simple arithmetic calculations. PHOTO/Pastieka/Science Photo Library

Benefits of electrical brain stimulation lasted months but critics point to study’s small size as a weakness.

The ‘three Rs’ of reading, writing and arithmetic could become four. Random electrical stimulation, a technique that applies a gentle current through the skull, leads to a long-lasting boost in the speed of mental calculations, a small laboratory study of university students has found1.

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via 3 Quarks Daily