1月29日,，據(jù)媒體報(bào)道,，牛津大學(xué)的研究人員日前發(fā)現(xiàn)，利用輕微電擊刺激腦部,，能提升數(shù)學(xué)能力,，還可改善記憶。這意味只需花費(fèi)500英鎊買個(gè)電震器,，就有可能成為天才,。但也有科學(xué)家擔(dān)心新科技會(huì)被不法之徒濫用，反而會(huì)阻礙腦部發(fā)育,。
據(jù)報(bào)道,，牛津大學(xué)神經(jīng)學(xué)家卡多什利用高科技系統(tǒng)“跨顱直流電刺激法”，以輕微電流刺激腦部特定部位,。實(shí)驗(yàn)發(fā)現(xiàn),，當(dāng)刺激負(fù)責(zé)閱讀、書寫及計(jì)算的部位時(shí),，有助于提升被測(cè)試者的數(shù)學(xué)能力,，因?yàn)殡娏骺纱碳つX部制造更多化學(xué)物質(zhì)，從而改變腦部結(jié)構(gòu),，實(shí)現(xiàn)“神經(jīng)可塑性”,，改善記憶和解決問題的能力，同時(shí)有助于學(xué)習(xí)新事物,。
卡多什表示,，新技術(shù)十分安全,，所用電流比可損害腦部的電流低1000倍,。據(jù)悉，此前電擊科技被用于治療認(rèn)知障礙,，將來或可用以治療抑郁癥及帕金森癥等疾病,。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.032
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Enhanced Cortical Excitability in Grapheme-Color Synesthesia and Its Modulation
Devin Blair Terhune, Sarah Tai, Alan Cowey, Tudor Popescu, Roi Cohen Kadosh
Synesthesia is an unusual condition characterized by the over-binding of two or more features and the concomitant automatic and conscious experience of atypical, ancillary images or perception. Previous research suggests that synesthetes display enhanced modality-specific perceptual processing,but it remains unclear whether enhanced processing contributes to conscious awareness of color photisms. In three experiments, we investigated whether grapheme-color synesthesia is characterized by enhanced cortical excitability in primary visual cortex and the role played by this hyperexcitability in the expression of synesthesia. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we show that synesthetes display 3-fold lower phosphene thresholds than controls during stimulation of the primary visual cortex. We next used transcranial direct current stimulation to discriminate between two competing hypotheses of the role of hyperexcitability in the expression of synesthesia. We demonstrate that synesthesia can be selectively augmented with cathodal stimulation and attenuated with anodal stimulation of primary visual cortex. A control task revealed that the effect of the brain stimulation was specific to the experience of synesthesia. These results indicate that hyperexcitability acts as a source of noise in visual cortex that influences the availability of the neuronal signals underlying conscious awareness of synesthetic photisms.
