Electronic stimulation of the brain is twice as effective caffeine

American scientists have used electrical stimulation of the brain to increase alertness personnel military base in a lack of sleep. Experiments on men and women aged 18 to 42 years showed that the half-hour electrical stimulation has helped increase productivity two times better than caffeine, but the effect lasted three times longer.

In an interview The Guardian Andy McKinley , lead researcher, said:" In the Air Force constantly spend a lot of intelligence operations and working on them analysts seek out potential targets - it can be vehicles, buildings, and so much more. This kind of jobs can not be automated, there is no algorithm for automatic selection of targets - a problem for people. It is very important to help people stay focused on the long period of time ».

During the experiment, the people do not slept 30 hours, performed screening targets - wherein one were stimulated with caffeine and other by electrical influences on the brain via the electrodes connected to the scalp. Four hours after the beginning of the people who received electrical stimulation, achieved results in tests 60%, while the people who received caffeine, scored only 30% - the same result as the people do not receive stimulation.

Used in the experiment the effect of stimulation of neurons with direct current, the so-called "Transcranial» (tDCS). As a result of increased activity of neurons. "You can imagine how you put the head on stimulant way to work, and after 20-30 minutes it works, you can work productively until the evening," said McKinley. Such devices are already sold , there are even open projects such stimulants, but their effect on the brain is not known until the end. There risks of using such devices, especially in children.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/241744/