Jump-Starter Kits for the Mind – NYTimes.com

Yes, the promise of tDCS and yet… having just listened to 6 or so hours of leading edge tDCS science I’d have to say we are actually farther away from the dream of simple and easy cognitive enhancement than when I first became interested. Things like… What if 2mA doesn’t have twice the effect of 1mA, but has an entirely different effect altogether? What if the differences in the shapes of people’s heads renders any notion of standard current flow a ludicrous idea? What if most of the experiments on which we base our understanding of tDCS were poorly designed and in fact don’t tell us anything like what they say they do? Did you know that the standard tDCS dose of 1-2mA was a ‘historical accident’? Certainly the questions are becoming finely focused and it does look to me like some very smart scientists are highly motivated to get a better understanding of what exactly is going on. Stay tuned!

Whether it’s hitting a golf ball, playing the piano or speaking a foreign language, becoming really good at something requires practice. Repetition creates neural pathways in the brain, so the behavior eventually becomes more automatic and outside distractions have less impact. It’s called being in the zone.

But what if you could establish the neural pathways that lead to virtuosity more quickly? That is the promise of transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS — the passage of very low-level electrical current through targeted areas of the brain. Several studies conducted in medical and military settings indicate tDCS may bring improvements in cognitive function, motor skills and mood.

Jump-Starter Kits for the Mind – NYTimes.com.

NYC Neuromodulation 2013 Conference – November 22-23

NYC Neuromodulation 2013 brings together pioneers and emerging innovations in Transcranial Electrical Stimulation. Cutting edge research, clinical trials, and techniques are introduced in a dynamic and interactive format. Learn how the field developed to its current state and the outlook for the next five years. Technologies covered include transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS), transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS), and High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS). Topics covered include design of clinical trials, integration with monitoring technologies (EEG), and deployable technology. Frequent opportunities to interact with speakers and attendees, sponsor exhibits, two large poster sessions, two panel discussions, social events and a certification course provide plenty of networking, educational, investment and collaboration opportunities.

Home: NYC Neuromodulation 2013 Conference.

SpeakWisdom | Wisdom for the Leading Edge of Life

Brent Williams shares his vision for the future of tDCS…

I have been reading studies, attending training, experimenting with, and writing about transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for about two years now.  Needless to say, I am enthusiastic about what tDCS can do for many people who use it for depression, chronic pain, enhanced creativity, and memory. It may also may have positive effect for other important conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – there are certainly studies that show that to be the case.

Given that it has positive effect on many who try it, it could improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world. All of this without drugs, without the cost of drugs, and with no significant side-effects.

With all the great things I’ve learned about tDCS, I thought I’d share a little of my tDCS Wish List for the next five years:

In The Next Five Years I Wish That:

every appropriate medical practitioner (and counselor) would at least become aware of tDCS. A treatment this good, this simple, this safe, with so much positive effect should not be overlooked. It should be a tool in the kit of considered-treatments for every practitioner

SpeakWisdom | Wisdom for the Leading Edge of Life

tDCS clinical research – recent highlights: Pain

The developers of Starstim, Neurolectrics, have a blog where they frequently discuss tDCS (and EEG). Here’s a snippet from their latest on tDCS & pain. Hit the link below to their full article.

Is transcranial current stimulation tCS, including direct current, tDCS, alternating current, tACS, or random noise stimulation tRNS effective? Now that is a good and difficult question! Let me try to review recent developments. In a recent post I provided an overview of tCS in Stroke. Here I do the same but for Pain. Please let me know if you think I am missing some important one! I have relied on Google Scholar and also PubMed to carry out the search, including the terms of tDCS, tACS, tRNS as well as Pain since 2012 and till Sep 2013.

via tDCS clinical research – recent highlights: Pain.

Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation UC-Davis Sept. 5, 2013 Videos

The ‘current’ state of the art! Thanks UC Davis for sharing! http://www.youtube.com/user/UCDavis

Dr. Marom Bikson, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The City College of The City University of New York, discussing the cellular mechanisms of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain.


Dr. Vince Clark, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of New Mexico, speaking on the role of tDCS in cognitive enhancement in a talk at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain.


In this talk at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain, Dr. Roy Hamilton, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses a range of clinical applications of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) technique.


Dr. Michael Nitsche, a pioneer in the field of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) from the University of Goettingen in Germany, speaking about the physiological basis of tDCS at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain.


Dr. Dylan Edwards of the Burke Medical Research Institute, speaking on the role of tDCS and robotics in human motor recovery in a talk at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain.


Dr. Vincent Walsh of University College London, discussing the current evidence for and against the role of transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) in improving cognition at the Summit on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) at the UC-Davis Center for Mind & Brain.