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4h ago

Mild Brain Stimulation Boosts Math Calculation in Low Performers

Backed by evidence of up to 29% gains, the study prompts larger safety trials, cautioning against inequitable access.

Those who had performed poorly in the maths training sessions showed a marked improvement after they received dorsolateral prefrontal cortex stimulation
Findings from the study could help make society more intellectually equitable, its authors argue
The study showed, via brain scans, that individuals with stronger brain connectivity between the dlPFC and the posterior parietal cortex performed better in maths learning tasks. Credit: Neuroscience News

Overview

  • Researchers mapped connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), posterior parietal cortex and hippocampus and found stronger links predict calculation performance but not rote memorization.
  • Over five days of targeted transcranial random noise stimulation on the dlPFC, participants with weaker neural connections improved calculation accuracy by 25–29%.
  • High-connectivity participants showed no measurable benefit from the same brain stimulation protocol.
  • Magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated that lower GABA levels corresponded with greater responsiveness to the electrical stimulation.
  • Lead authors call for broader safety and efficacy trials and warn that limited access to neuroenhancement tools could widen existing educational disparities.