{"id":9415,"date":"2016-07-27T06:48:44","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T06:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kurzweilai.net\/?p=284412"},"modified":"2016-07-29T06:48:56","modified_gmt":"2016-07-29T06:48:56","slug":"neuroscience-researchers-caution-public-about-hidden-risks-of-self-administered-brain-stimulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/fugic\/2016\/07\/27\/neuroscience-researchers-caution-public-about-hidden-risks-of-self-administered-brain-stimulation\/","title":{"rendered":"Neuroscience researchers caution public about hidden risks of self-administered brain stimulation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

TheBrainDriver v.2.0 tDCS device (credit: TheBrainDriver, LLC)<\/p><\/div>\n

“Do-it-yourself” users of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) seeking cognitive enhancement are exposing themselves to hidden risks, neuroscientists warn in an open-access<\/a>\u00a0Open Letter in the journal Annals of Neurology<\/em>.<\/p>\n

tDCS devices are made up of a band that wraps around one\u2019s head with electrodes placed at specific scalp locations to target specific brain regions. The devices transmit varying levels of electrical current to the brain to achieve the desired result, such as an enhanced state of relaxation, energy, focus, creativity, or a variety of other goals.<\/p>\n

Cognitive neuroscience research suggests that tDCS can enhance cognition, and relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other conditions. \u201cPublished results of these studies might lead DIY tDCS users to believe that they can achieve the same results if they mimic the way stimulation is delivered in research studies. However, there are many reasons why this simply isn\u2019t true,\u201d said first author,\u00a0Rachel Wurzman, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the\u00a0Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation<\/a>\u00a0at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important for people to understand why outcomes of tDCS can be unpredictable, because we know that in some cases, the benefits that are seen after tDCS in certain mental abilities may come at the expense of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cOpen Letter\u201d is signed by 39 researchers who share this sentiment, representing an unprecedented consensus among tDCS experts. \u201cGiven the possibility that the improper use of our articles might cause harm, as a community we felt it necessary — an ethical obligation — to explain in a peer-reviewed journal\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0it is that we generally do not encourage do-it-yourself use of tDCS,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

tDCS risks
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the concerns explained in the paper:<\/p>\n