Have you ever wondered if you were able to solve math problems more easily and without having to practice or study more than normal? A new study conducted by researchers from Oxford University, UK, found that students do better in arithmetic problems after a brain stimulation period of five days.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, involved 25 students who were subjected to electrical pulses in the brain, and another 26 students submitted a false test, where equipment brain stimulation was turned off without the knowledge of the group.
The technique used for stimulation is called Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (TRNS) electric current that fluctuates randomly within certain boundaries.
The researchers applied to the TRNS dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region linked to mathematical cognition and found that the group that received this stimulation solved problems 27 percent faster than the control group.
While receiving this treatment for five days, the students were able to memorize new 'facts' faster. By comparing with the group that was treated with fake those receiving TRNS also learned quickly to do calculations with new operands (the + and - explain what to do with the numbers on each side, but in this case the new symbols involved more complex operations).
"Our goal is to help people with little mathematical ability, which is approximately 20 percent of the population," he explained to The Guardian neuroscientist who led the study, Cohen Kadosh. "But we need to extend the results to the general population and use settings greener, with classrooms. There is more work to be done, but we are in the right direction, "he concluded.
According to the study, the improved calculation capabilities to be maintained for a period of six months, the same is not true for memory performance
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