Though many of us prefer a peaceful environment in which to study, ‘noise’ may play an important role in assisting some people in improving their learning ability.
The study titled ‘Using noise for the better: The effects of transcranial random
noise stimulation on the brain and behaviour’ 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 the
the technology could have many applications.
Despite its name, tRNS doesn’t utilize noise in the everyday, auditory sense of the word. Rather, it sees electrodes attached to the head so a weak current can pass
through specific parts of the brain.
Study lead Dr Onno van der Groen said the study showed tRNS has promise as
a tool to assist people with compromised learning capabilities. “The effect on learning is promising: it can speed up learning and help people
with neurological conditions,” Dr van der Groen said.
“So, people with learning difficulties you can use it to enhance learning rate, for
example.
“If you do 10 sessions of a visual perception task with the tRNS and then come
back and do it again without it, you’ll find you perform better than the control
the group who hasn’t used it,” he said.
“Limitless” potential?
The idea of expanding one’s learning potential via tech such as tRNS raises
many questions.
While it’s most pertinent to those with deficiencies and difficulties in learning,
it also begs the question as to whether a neurotypical person can take their
intelligence to new levels, similar to the concept in the movie ‘Limitless’.
Dr van der Groen says the potential is there, but there are also signs it won’t
create a ‘new level’ of intelligence.
“The question is, if you’re neurotypical, are you already performing at your
peak,” he said.
“There’s a case study where they tried to enhance the mathematical skills of a
super mathematician; with him, it didn’t have much of an impact on his performance, presumably because he is already a top performer in that area. “But it could be used if you’re learning something new.”
Where it’s headed
Though the technology is still in its infancy and people are only able to access
tRNS by entering controlled trials, Dr van der Croen said its practicality and
apparent safety meant there was a lot of potential for a range of applications
“The concept is relatively simple,” he said.
“It’s like a battery: the current runs from plus to minus, but it goes through your
head as well.
“We’re working on a study where we send the equipment to people, and they
apply everything themselves remotely. “So in that regard, it’s quite easy to use.”
Scientists worldwide are also investigating tRNS’ effects on perception, working
memory, sensory processing and other aspects of behaviour, with the
technology showing promise as a treatment for a range of clinical conditions.
“We’re still trying to find out how best we can use it,” Dr van der Groen said.
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