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Magnetic Brain Stimulation Makes Learning Easier
cylonlover writes "Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technology that temporarily activates – or inactivates – parts of the brain using magnetic stimulation. Its ability to selectively turn areas of the brain on or off allows the functions and interconnections of the brain to by studied in a noninvasive and painless manner. Now researchers have shown that the technology can be used to enable rats to learn more easily. While smarter rats probably aren't high on anyone's wish list, the technology shows potential for allowing TMS to better treat a variety of brain disorders and diseases in humans, such as severe depression and schizophrenia."
Can I just wear a hat with magnets in it? Or would that kind of be like stabbing yourself in the face and calling it acupuncture?
If somebody can find an xkcd about Pinky and the Brain, we can wrap this one right up.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
The body has evolved to reward beneficial behavior with feelings of pleasure, and to punish detrimental behavior with pain. Its an imperfect system, and it can go awry. But start mucking around with the feedback mechanism, bypassing it by stimulating the brain directly, and you can get into a lot of trouble. Similarly, other aspects of brain functionality tend to be as strong or weak as they are for reasons that have evolved over a long period of time. Almost anything that can be done to stimulate some aspect of brain function is at the expense of something else. The tradeoffs are many and poorly understood, and harmful effects aren't always very easy to detect externally. If it feels good enough, or produces compelling enough short term benefits, how does a person resist the temptation to do something that may have non-obvious long term penalties? By altering your brain function, your altering the one thing that is capable of warning you when you're going in a bad direction. In that regard its a highly unstable undertaking. A person can try to add a safeguard by handing the reins over to another person, like is done with prescriptions for therapeutic drugs. But that other person's judgment is almost unavoidably colored by their own self interest.
Medical technology is great for stuff like repairing busted knees. But if a person adds up all the human carnage caused by devices aimed at helping or correcting brain function, I wonder how its stacks up against the benefits.
Yes of course some people are going to explore this sort of thing anyway. I'm not in favor of banning it, and maybe I'm not even in favor of regulating it. But I still think its worth pause for thought.
It wasn't linked to in the article, so here's the actual abstracts for the two papers:
http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/4/1193
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07425.x/abstract
Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Alters Cortical Inhibition
Human cortical excitability can be modified by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), but the cellular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that the pattern of delivery of theta-burst stimulation (TBS) (continuous versus intermittent) differently modifies electric activity and protein expression in the rat neocortex. Intermittent TBS (iTBS), but not continuous TBS (cTBS), enhanced spontaneous neuronal firing and EEG gamma band power. Sensory evoked cortical inhibition increased only after iTBS, although both TBS protocols increased the first sensory response arising from the resting cortical state. Changes in the cortical expression of the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV) and calbindin D-28k (CB) indicate that changes in spontaneous and evoked cortical activity following rTMS are in part related to altered activity of inhibitory systems. By reducing PV expression in the fast-spiking interneurons, iTBS primarily affected the inhibitory control of pyramidal cell output activity, while cTBS, by reducing CB expression, more likely affected the dendritic integration of synaptic inputs controlled by other classes of inhibitory interneurons. Calretinin, the third major calcium-binding protein expressed by another class of interneurons was not affected at all. We conclude that different patterns of TBS modulate the activity of inhibitory cell classes differently, probably depending on the synaptic connectivity and the preferred discharge pattern of these inhibitory neurons.
Continuous and intermittent transcranial magnetic theta burst stimulation modify tactile learning performance and cortical protein expression in the rat differently
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can modulate cortical excitability in a stimulus-frequency-dependent manner. Two kinds of theta burst stimulation (TBS) [intermittent TBS (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS)] modulate human cortical excitability differently, with iTBS increasing it and cTBS decreasing it. In rats, we recently showed that this is accompanied by changes in the cortical expression of proteins related to the activity of inhibitory neurons. Expression levels of the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) and of the 67-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) were strongly reduced following iTBS, but not cTBS, whereas both increased expression of the 65-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase. In the present study, to investigate possible functional consequences, we applied iTBS and cTBS to rats learning a tactile discrimination task. Conscious rats received either verum or sham rTMS prior to the task. Finally, to investigate how rTMS and learning effects interact, protein expression was determined for cortical areas directly involved in the task and for those either not, or indirectly, involved. We found that iTBS, but not cTBS, improved learning and strongly reduced cortical PV and GAD67 expression. However, the combination of learning and iTBS prevented this effect in those cortical areas involved in the task, but not in unrelated areas. We conclude that the improved learning found following iTBS is a result of the interaction of two effects, possibly in a homeostatic manner: a general weakening of inhibition mediated by the fast-spiking interneurons, and re-established activity in those neurons specifically involved in the learning task, leading to enhanced contrast between learning-induced and background activity.
Can we get the actual paper(s) linked to in the summary rather than just this "Scientists somewhere found something cool and that's about all we'll tell you" crap? Occasionally, I'm interested in details that are lacking. For anyone interested, Trippe et al 2011 J neurosci and Mix et al Euro J neurosci seem to be the articles they're talking about.
Having said that, they're behind paywalls, and people understandably hate that too...
I've seen a few papers like this one that suggests magnetic fields cause new neurons to form in rats. The research here suggests it "modifies electric activity and protein expression in the rat neocortex." I don't see why the two would be mutually exclusive when it comes to learning in the short term, but I'd also be interested in what the longer term effects are. Skimming over the newer article, it only tracked the rats 7 days, the paper about neurogenesis seems to show effects after nine weeks.
As I said, I only skimmed the articles, and I don't really have a clear understanding of the brain architecture, but it will be interesting if this treatment proves to have short and long term beneficial effects, or at least good short term effects and no bad effects from the increased neurons in the brain.
If this turns out to be a "flowers for algernon" situation though, I've read that book, it's sad, and I want no part of it.
I can't believe that magnetic stimulation will have no side effects whatsoever, as they claim. I won't let anyone go near my head with such a thing until more is known about the influence and long-term effects of this technique, or I have no choice but to try it.
-- Cheers!
That I'd love to have something like this to help learn skills and languages faster and to remember things better.
It's not quite the Matrix's "I know jujitsu.", but we're getting there. Baby steps.
My wife has been using Transcranial Sonic Stimulation to temporarily deactivate my aural, pleasure, empathy and impulse control centers for years now.
When I read that headline my immediate reaction was, "Uh oh... pseudo-science incoming". However this comes from a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience and the European Journal of Neuroscience. So perhaps we can enhance our brain through the (in a 1950's movie scientist voice) POWER OF MAGNETS!
I knew it! They can deactivate my brain with magnets and stuff!
*proudly wears tin foil hat*
Diary entry:
Algernon the Mouse writing. I don't feel so good any more. Miss Kinnian says she is worried.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Cell phones were shown many years ago to affect long-term memory in a classic study at the University of Washington. It might make sense to try and apply the magnetic fields selectively to accomplish some sort of positive learing result. Hopefully, this won't turn out to another one of those enthusiastically-received procedures like lobotomies or electroshock that end up hurting more than helping.
By this definition there is no such thing as an (effective) noninvasive procedure. Anything meeting this definition of noninvasive would be utterly pointless.
TMS / TCMS has also shown promise in the treatment of migraine [ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(10)70054-5/abstract ] and a simple handheld device has been tested [ http://www.science20.com/news_releases/transcranial_magnetic_stimulator_claims_to_zap_away_migraines ] with positive results. The magnetic fields involved are much more intense than environmental magnetism, but the sensitivity of the brain to these effects raises questions about prolonged exposure to electromagnetic noise.
As an Iraq vet with [PTSD] (mild case), who has friends who suffer a lot more, I hope this can offer some hope.
you'd be interested in my other comment:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1976324&cid=35077664
Also see David Feinstein, PhD's report about what they had to go through to get Congress to fund a study at Walter Reed.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
www.teslabox.com
You could get some exercise. There is simply no other thing you can do for brain health and performance that has anything close to the volume of research support that exercise has. Recently I was reading in Science News about how rats given a test requiring them to remember subtle differences performed significantly better when they had an exercise wheel in their cage.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
However, humans are collections of magnetic fields. So basically "common sense" is saying, "how dumb are you to believe that magnets affect magnet fields".
It's kind of ironic that a large part of the culture that pursues physcial determinism seem to exclude themselves from said physical determinism. Which is just proof that the western viewpoint still lacks a connection to reality.
As for Alzheimer's what's your basis? As far as i can tell it could possible help considering that a symptom of alzheimers is the deterioration of the matrix that suspends the neurons in the brain. Brain growth stimulates the strengthing and growth of the matrix. In fact, it is increasingly seen as just as important as the neurons itself. After all, what is flow without structure?
A) Sleep on the floor of your house (hopefully you live in the city full of electricity and gadgets)
B) Go camping and sleep on the ground far away from man-made magnetic fields
C) Observe the difference.
I have not met one person that hasn't been able to notice the difference.