Scientists have shown experimentally that electrical stimulation of the brain greatly enhances mathematical abilities.
Dr. Roi Cohen Kadosh, a neurophysiologist in Oxford University's department of experimental psychology, began experimenting three years ago.
And even then, by means of electrodes put on the heads of 15 student volunteers, he demonstrated: shocks with a weak electric current lead to the fact that volunteers begin to perform arithmetic operations in their minds faster and more accurately.
50 volunteers have already participated in the current experiments. Half of them were stimulated with electricity for five days while they were trained. Approximately 20 minutes in a 45-minute lesson. The other half were deceived - they inflicted a light electric shock, and then immediately turned off the electricity.
After stimulation - real and false - the volunteers no longer solved arithmetic, but much more complex mathematical problems.
Result: those stimulated by the current acquired new knowledge 5 times faster than their non-electrified counterparts. And the tasks were solved 30 flights faster and more accurately. Moreover, the amazing effect lasted for about six months.
Kadosh believes that he has found a way that makes a person much more capable without harm to health - at least in the field of mathematics. Someone, perhaps, after being electrocuted on the head, will generally turn into a genius. And how Perelman will prove some tricky theorem.
However, the experimenters initially did not aim their research at ordinary people - they wanted to help the “flawed,” for example, stroke victims. Or those who are naturally not good at mathematics. Such, according to statistics, every fifth.
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Scientists presented the results of their research in the journal Current Biology. And they admitted that they still cannot explain them. Perhaps electrostimulation simply improves the supply of blood or nutrients to the brain. Or maybe the mechanism is much more complicated.
In the future, Kadosh and his colleagues would like to know whether it is possible to strengthen other abilities with the help of current, stimulating the corresponding parts of the brain? Suddenly, putting on electrodes, people will turn into virtuoso musicians. Or outstanding artists. Or genius chess players. Or even footballers who hit the goal.