Although many of us prefer a peaceful environment in which to study, ‘noise’ can play an important role in helping some people improve their ability to learn.
The study, titled ‘Using noise for the better: The effects of transcranial random noise stimulation on the brain and behavior’, was published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) has investigated the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS) in a variety of settings and found that the technology could have many applications.
Despite its name, TRNS does not use noise in the auditory sense of the word, every day.
Rather, it sees electrodes attached to the head, so a weak current can pass through specific parts of the brain.
The study’s lead, Dr Ono van der Groen, said the study showed that tRNS showed promise as a tool to help people with compromised learning abilities.
“The effect on learning is promising: it may accelerate learning and help people with neurological conditions,” Dr van der Groen said.
“So, people with learning difficulties, for example, you can use that to increase the learning rate.
“It has also been tested on people with visual deficits, such as after stroke and traumatic brain injury.
“When you add this type of stimulation during learning, you also get better performance, faster learning, and better attention afterwards.”
make new routes
Dr van der Groen said tRNS works by allowing the brain to form new connections and pathways, a process known as neuroplasticity.
“If you learn something, there must be neuroplastic changes in your brain that allow you to learn this information,” he said.
“And it is a tool to enhance this neuroplasticity.”
Dr van der Groen said that tRNS has two effects on the brain: the ‘acute’ effect, which allows a person to perform better when undergoing tRNS, and the modulating effect which saw lasting results.
“If you do 10 sessions of a visual perception task with the tRNS and then come back and do it again without it, you may find that you perform better than the control group that did not use it,” They said.
“Unlimited” Capacity?
The idea of expanding one’s learning capacity through technology such as tRNS raises many questions.
While this is most relevant to people with deficits and learning difficulties, it also begs the question of whether a neurotic person can take their intelligence to new levels, similar to the concept in the film ‘Limitless’.
Dr van der Groen says there is potential, but there are indications that it will not create a ‘new level’ of intelligence.
“The question is, if you are neurotic, are you already performing at your peak,” he said.
“There is a case study where he tried to enhance the mathematical prowess of a super mathematician; with that, it didn’t have much effect on his performance, probably because he is already a top performer in that field.
“But if you’re learning something new it can be used.”
where is it going
Although the technology is still in its infancy and people have been able to access tRNS only by entering controlled trials, Dr van der Groen said that its practicality and apparent safety mean there is great potential for a range of applications. .
“The concept is relatively simple,” he said.
“It’s like a battery: current runs from plus to minus, but it also goes through your head.
“We’re working on a study where we send people the equipment, and they implement everything themselves remotely.
“So in that regard, it’s fairly easy to use.”
Scientists around the world are also investigating the effects of tRNS on perception, working memory, sensory processing and other aspects of behavior, with the technology showing promise as a treatment for a range of clinical conditions.
“We’re still trying to figure out how we can best use it,” Dr van der Groen said.