Applying a tiny electrical current to the brain could make
you better at learning maths, according to Oxford University scientists. They found that targeting a part of the brain called the parietal lobe
improved the ability of volunteers to solve numerical problems.
They hope the discovery could help people with dyscalculia, who may struggle
with numbers.
Another expert said effects on other brain functions would need checking.
The findings are reported in the journal Current Biology.
Some studies have suggested that up to one in five
people have trouble with maths, affecting not just their ability to complete
problems but also to manage everyday activities such as telling the time and
managing money.
Neuroscientists believe that activity within the parietal lobe plays a
crucial role in this ability, or the lack of it.
When magnetic fields were used in earlier research to disrupt electrical activity in this part of the brain, previously numerate volunteers temporarily developed discalculia, finding it much harder to solve maths problems.
The latest research goes a step further, using a one milliamp current to
stimulate the parietal lobe of a small number of students.
The current could not be felt, and had no measurable effect on other brain
functions.
As it was turned on, the volunteers tried to learn a puzzle which involved
substituting numbers for symbols.
Those given the current from right to left across the parietal lobe did
significantly better when given, compared to those who were given no electrical
stimulation.
The direction of the current was important - those given stimulation running
in the opposite direction, left to right, did markedly worse at these puzzles
than those given no current, with their ability matching that of an average
six-year-old.
The effects were not short-lived, either. When the volunteers whose
performance improved was re-tested six months later, the benefits appear to have
persisted.
There was no wider effect on general maths ability in either group, just on
the ability to complete the puzzles learned as the current was applied.
Dr Cohen Kadosh, who led the study, said: "We are not advising people to go
around giving themselves electric shocks, but we are extremely excited by the
potential of our findings and are now looking into the underlying brain
changes.
"We've shown before that we can induce dyscalculia, and now it seems we might
be able to make someone better at maths, so we really want to see if we can help
people with dyscalculia.
