The Boston Globe (2/18, Bender) reports that the Department of Defense “is exploring a novel way to extend troops’ attention spans and sharpen their reaction times: stimulate the brain with low levels of electricity.” Electricity has been used to treat some psychiatric conditions before, notably major depression, in techniques “embraced by the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Psychiatric Association, and the US Surgeon General. “ So far, early research shows that non-invasive brain stimulation in healthy sleep-deprived volunteers appears to improve “both alertness and acuity.”
Related Links:
— “Pentagon considers using electricity to stimulate troops’ brains, ” Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, February 18, 2014.