Improve Your Arithmetic

Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) has been shown to help people with a wide range of medical conditions including depression, Parkinson’s Disease, insomnia and chronic pain. Recently, U.K. researchers reported that a specific type of TES known as transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS) could be used to improve cognitive training in adults, particularly as it relates to math.

In one study, about half of the participants were given TRNS through electrodes applied over the prefrontal cortex – an area of the brain that is heavily involved in mathematical processing. The remaining participants were given a sham treatment, and both groups took part in the same five-day cognitive training. The results indicate that computation speed of the TRNS group was twice as fast as the control group, and their memory recall of arithmetic facts (such as multiplication tables) was also quicker. Furthermore, in a follow up study six months later, the computational improvements were still evident.

Although much research remains to be done, it is hoped that treatments such as this could someday help children with learning disabilities or assist stroke victims with their rehabilitation.