Hello Steemians!
Today I’m going to discuss something that is absolutely futuristic and incredibly exciting:
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
...or as we’ll call it tDCS Imagine you wake up in the morning, put on your Daft-Punk-esque helmet, zap your brain, and you’re wide awake and ready to start your day. Then you come back to bed after a long day’s work, brain still functioning at 230 RPM, and you put the helmet back on to "power down" and go comfortably to bed. That’s what we’re talking about here. Want to ace that math test? Set your magic helmet to study mode. Want to paint a masterpiece? Tune the settings a bit to get those creative juices flowing.
Ok, so maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but this is an exciting and relatively new area of research that is definitely worthy of being talked about.
What is tDCS?
What I’m talking about here is a method of stimulating one’s neurons using a constant, low voltage signal via electrodes strategically placed on the scalp. Previously, most uses of tDCS were as a treatment for neurological disorders like depression or schizophrenia. It has now been found that by controlling the intensity, duration, and location of these electrodes to manipulate various aspects of the human brain. tDCS can cause various areas of the brain to be excited or inhibited, in everyday people, even with safety precautions taken into consideration
Devices
So you’re interested, and if you’re like me you’re asking "how can I be a guinea pig?". Turns out many of these devices are long past the development stage, backed by loads of research and studies. You can now buy various types of these devices online. I’ll go over a few:
The Brain Stimulator
While not the most creative name for a company, they have a multitude of devices available at the most affordable prices I’ve seen.
- Devices range from $60-190
- Their website posts many positive reviews
- Reviews can always be fake and this product has that 'high-school-science-fair' look
Apex
This company has a bit more of a professional website devices but devices still look like they could have been made in someone’s garage.
- Great deal on the bundle for $140, components are affordable
- Seems to have a reliable help center
- Again, all overwhelmingly positive reviews---should be taken with a grain of salt
Thync
I have to touch on this last company because this is the product I’ve actually tried, which I’ll discuss soon. This is by far my favorite device I've seen
- Very professional site, great attention to detail
- Streamlined design makes consumer feel more comfortable that adequate research and work went into building it
- Expensive, at $300---but you can try it for 1 dollar and there is a full money back guarantee
- Comes with a mobile app used to control the device
My Experience with Thync
My friend turned me on to this idea at first, and when I walked in on him zapping his brain in his living room I was instantly intrigued. After doing some of my own research, I was comfortable in trying it. There are three components to the device:
- A module that you place on your temple on the left or right side of your forehead.
- A strip of adhesive material that clasps to the module and sticks to the back of your neck
- An iOS/Android compatible app from which you control the stimulation to your own brain
At my time of testing, the app had 2 settings. As I expected, the app was as smooth and well-designed as the website. I stared down at 2 options—"Energy" and "Calm". Figuring that I was too excited to possibly be relaxed, I chose energy. The next step was for me to pick the intensity and duration. I chose intensity at a 70/100 and a duration of approximately 15 minutes.
The device eases you into the stimulation. It started off slow and barely noticeable, to the point where I began to doubt if I was doing it right. Before long, I felt a buzzing, almost itchy sensation on my temple, unlike anything I’ve felt before. The closest comparison I have is that it was like a way less intense version of that old arcade game where everyone tries to withstand as much of an electric shock as they can before the pain is unbearable (which looking back sounds like one of those 90’s things that would be a huge safety concern nowadays).
Several minutes of eyelid-twitching later and it was time to take it off. I felt energized, but I remembered that could have easily been from the excitement of experimenting with crazy future-cyborg technology for the first time. Over the week I tried it 2 or 3 more times, feeling energetic but unsure if it was simply the effect of the novelty.
Then, my friend sent it back (he did get his money back guarantee). Personally, I would have like to try it longer, but since it wasn’t the magic cure to all life’s problems, he had decided it didn’t work. Unfortunately, rusults are inconclusive—but optimistic.
The app now seems to have many more features than when I used it. There are 5 different Energy Vibes, 5 Calm Vibes and even some workout vibes for both energy and relaxation. It all seems very promising. I should also mention that the support staff was very helpful in responding to our questions about things such as the placement of the bands and module. I think that they believe in their product, but they did say that research suggests that around 20% of people are simply immune to the effects of tDCS.
I recommend you try it for yourself. Do your own research first and you will find that this is an exciting new technology that could have a significant impact on our future. I’d love to hear any of your thoughts and experiences with tDCS in the comments below.