A new study has devised a new method which uses electrical charges to stimulate the brain. Scientists believe that it will be helpful to those who need to improve their self-control.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston have successfully demonstrated a device that can enhance self-control through brain stimulation.
Participants of the study were instructed to deliver a simple behavioral task which needed inhibition, the braking or slowing of action in the brain. With each participant, the researchers first figured out the exact location of this brake in the brain’s prefrontal region. They then increased the activity in the specified brain region by using stimulation coupled with short and imperceptible electrical charges. This method led to increased braking otherwise referred to as a form of enhanced self-control.
The researchers believe that this new method can be a possible treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Tourette’s syndrome, and other forms of severe disorders affecting self-control.
"There is a circuit in the brain for inhibiting or braking responses," said Nitin Tandon, M.D., the study's senior author and associate professor in The Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at the UTHealth Medical School. "We believe we are the first to show that we can enhance this braking system with brain stimulation."
A computer was used to stimulate the prefrontal cortex at the exact time when braking is necessary. This was performed by using electrodes that are implanted directly on the surface of the brain.
When the test was repeated while stimulating the brain region found on the external side of the prefrontal cortex, it didn’t have an effect on behavior. This showed that the effect was particular to the prefrontal braking system.
The electrical brain stimulation method is a new technique since it had apparently improved prefrontal function. On the other hand, human brain stimulation focuses mostly on disrupted normal brain activity. The study was the first published human study designed to enhance prefrontal lobe function by utilizing direct electrical stimulation.
While the results seem to be promising, the researchers clarified that they weren’t able to enhance self-control in general. At present, direct electrical stimulation needs an invasive surgical procedure which is instrumental in the localization and treatment of severe cases of epilepsy.
The study was published in the December 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
