A 9V Battery To Your Brain Can Improve Your Gaming

autospa writes with an intriguing story found at Nature about direct electrical stimulation's effect on the brain. By applying low levels of electrical current to different parts of the brain via electrodes placed on the scalp, University of New Mexico researchers claim to have documented some significant changes in brain activity, which vary depending on the part of the brain targeted. Gamers, take note: in one experiment in which volunteers were recorded while playing a video war game, "those receiving 2 milliamps to the scalp (about one-five-hundredth the amount drawn by a 100-watt light bulb) showed twice as much improvement in the game after a short amount of training as those receiving one-twentieth the amount of current." The idea of affecting the brain by electric stimulation isn't new; but the battery-powered, non-invasive variety naturally leads some people to consider rolling their own.

Comments

Cancer!

[Anonymous Coward]

Just wait. In a few years there will be another study that suggests that this causes cancer.

It's all fun

[Anonymous Coward]

until it begins to wear down your brain and you get Alzheimer's at 30.

Re:It's all fun

[comm3c]

until it begins to wear down your brain and you get Alzheimer's at 30

Good point. I don't think we understand enough about the electrical operation of the brain to be jumping for this. If I had to make a comparison, we can turn up the clock rate on an oscillator, but it doesn't mean that the device relying on the clock can handle it without some strange, sudden and premature failure.

Re:It's all fun

[derGoldstein]

Another analogy is passing current through frog legs. You can see the effect, and deduce that there's a correlation between the current and the resulting motion, but it doesn't mean you know why or what the underlying mechanism is.

If anything, this seems quite hazardous. Our bodies are designed (ahem -- naturally selected) to defend themselves from much of what's found in nature, which probably doesn't include running even very small amounts of current through our brains. The fact that the brain is encased in a solid shell in mammals should give an idea of how vulnerable it really is. This experiment bypasses that defense and introduces stimuli that you almost certainly won't find in nature. We already know that introducing a tiny amount of arsenic into the bloodstream will kill most (almost all) living things, so we're weary of chemical experimentation, but we haven't been messing around with the brain long enough to know what the effects of electrical stimulation will be.

It could induce brain cancer for all we know. I personally wouldn't go volunteering for this type of experimentation.

Re:It's all fun

[Joce640k]

It's just overclocking for your brain...some people get away with it for years, others get blue screens

Re:It's all fun

[Razed By TV]

In one study done in a prison, none of the inmates in the test group developed brain cancer after having their heads exposed to a high voltage.

Re:It's all fun

[durrr]

Transcranial direct current stimulation was used in psychiatric care in the 70 or 60s as a treatment to depression, it later fell into obscurity for the following decades(Like psychadelic research, bacteriophage research and whatever else that's only being rediscovered now), no negative effects noticed then. No negative effects found in later studies either. It's not new, it's only a rather dull research subject because you don't need a transcomfublating subluxcapacitor that costs twenty million USD and can grant you a nice profit cow/patent, you need a 9v battery, a pair of electrodes, and electrode gel/salt water, and the effects are not directly perceptible like psychoactive drugs.

Some research from last year showed a temporary 110% improvement in short term memory on the test subjects following ten minutes of stimulation, can't be bothered to dig up the article now though.
As for negative effects some guy argued for microembolization in the brain, however such events have only been detected at higher currents.

Re:It's all fun

[durrr]

As for your frog leg comparison. We know pretty well that Voltage gated sodium channels are responsible for depolarization. And they are voltage activated as the name suggests. That is, we know the underlying mechanism.

Re:It's all fun

[loosescrews]

Overclocking is generally harmless. It is overvolting your brain. Overclocking likely won't kill something, overvolting will.

Re:It's all fun

[derGoldstein]

I was waiting for someone to interpret it that way. What I meant was that they didn't know what the underlying mechanism was when it was first discovered. Just like they've just now hooked up people to 2mA and observed the effect, but at the moment, they won't be able to tell you why it has that effect.

Re:It's all fun

[derGoldstein]

None of those (AFAIK) expose the brain to long durations of stimulus. That's why this is inherently different from chemical treatment -- you can turn it on and of in an instant. With drugs, if you introduce chemicals to the bloodstream you have to wait for them to run their course. Here, it may be that the exact length of electrical exposure may have a drastic effect in the long term.

Also, the terms we're talking about here are an oversimplification. I'm guessing (hoping) that they didn't just try DC current, but also different frequencies and waveforms. Once you get into higher frequencies, you get induced magnetic fields which themselves may generate current elsewhere, not to mention parasitic capacitance which may occur (in fact, it definitely *does* occur, but may not be enough to cause any effects).

Re:It's all fun

[durrr]

The neurons in your brain have those same voltage gated channels. A positive voltage will nugde them closer to the depolarization treshold. Reversing the current will nudge them away from the depolarization threshold and provide inhibitory effects instead. Which is consistent with what is observed: anodal stimulation have the opposite influence as cathodal.

Re:It's all fun

[eharvill]

/agree /sign /bump /bluescreen

Re:It's all fun

[Anonymous Coward]

"so we're weary of chemical experimentation"

The word is 'wary'.

Re:It's all fun

[cbiltcliffe]

but it doesn't mean that the device relying on the clock can handle it without some strange, sudden and premature failure.

You're assuming that most people haven't already had strange, premature brain failures.

Actually, that explains an awful lot about society....

Re:It's all fun

[cbiltcliffe]

In one study done in a prison, none of the inmates in the test group developed brain cancer after having their heads exposed to a high voltage.

No, but it did seriously mess up their hairstyles....

New "Head-Gear" product!

[Anonymous Coward]

A Potentiometer with a 9v attached to your head!!

Re:New "Head-Gear" product!

[derGoldstein]

I was thinking more along the lines of a function-generator. The amount of current isn't the only factor here -- there's also frequency and waveform to take into account. And what about polarity? Also, how to do pick where to pass the current through? We should probably ask this guy.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Anonymous Coward]

"2 milliamps to the scalp (about one-five-hundredth the amount drawn by a 100-watt light bulb"

And really, who hasn't stuck their scalp in a light socket? This must be completely safe.

Not just for gaming

[Tet]

Sod computer gaming. My first through when reading this was "can I fit it inside my race helmet and improve my performance in real life?"

Re:Not just for gaming

[DigiShaman]

And what would happen in the event of an epileptic seizure caused by this? Do you really want to be on a crotch-rocket then? It's not like you can simply drop the controller, but you would a bike for sure.

Re:Not just for gaming

[stms]

My first thought was I bet they'll start integrating this into gaming headsets.

Re:Not just for gaming

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Sod computer gaming. My first through when reading this was "can I fit it inside my race helmet and improve my performance in real life?"

Wouldn't it be easier to just use the unlimited-blue-shells cheat code?

Re:Not just for gaming

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, there is a lot of crappy equipment that has faulty grounding, are they saying now, that it's a feature?

Re:Not just for gaming

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

Apparently there is no risk of seizure, because the current does not trigger neuron activity (page 2):

Very little is known about how TDCS works. Scientists theorize that the mild current primes the neurons for action but does not trigger the voltage spikes that neurons use to communicate. "Presumably, it is polarizing neurons and making them more or less likely to respond to inputs," says Warren Grill, a neural engineer at Duke University, in Durham, NC. "But what's happening at the level of the synapse, where the business of learning really takes place, we don't know."

Of course, given the opening sentence to that paragraph, it's probably not something you'd want to play with at home...

Re:Not just for gaming

[zephvark]

[quote]My first through when reading this[/quote] You can't afford to risk losing another single brain cell.

Re:Not just for gaming

[porl]

or, if you do the most elementary research, you will find out that clarke, after claiming these 'zappers' will cure everything including cancer and hiv, died of cancer.

all the 'zappers' are are cheap square wave generators. i also for many years did not have to go to a doctor. that doesn't mean my lifestyle is the solution to everyone else's illnesses.

Re:Not just for gaming

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

People like you are how people like Hulda Clark make money. (Before dying of cancer, it seems - from the author of "the cure for cancer".)

one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[blai]

Is that the preferred way of saying percentages in the US?

Re:one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[mcavic]

Is that the preferred way of saying percentages in the US?

No, it's not.

Re:one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[Anonymous Coward]

They're called fractions. Believe it or not, other countries have them too.

Re:one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[oliverthered]

in some fractions of society they base line with the lowest common denominator.

Re:one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[pushing-robot]

No, in the US they would be called one twentieth and one fifth, respectively.

Re:one-five-hundredth (0.2%), one-twentieth (5%)

[rubycodez]

Nope, but the U.S. bias was in assuming the 100W bulb was connected to 110-120VAC mains, instead of the planet's more common 220-240VAC mains

good old electroshock

[Anonymous Coward]

I think that the good old electroshock is seeing a renaissance these days.
Maybe smaller, more targeted currents will be helpful for depression.
I don't care about improving my "gaming", but I would not mind some help with my depression that would not involve fucking up my brain chemistry.

Re:good old electroshock

[derGoldstein]

Look into trepanning. It lets the brain breath.

Re:good old electroshock

[trapnest]

How do you know that fucking up your brain electricity is better?

Oh no...

[Anonymous Coward]

Now it's Electrical Doping. I'm shocked.

I wonder if this guy plays Quake better than me. That might explain my recent low performance.

Alvie

9V?

[Anonymous Coward]

If 9V is good, 90V must be ten times as good!

Re:9V?

[damnfuct]

Think about what can happen when you go over 9000

Re:9V?

[speculatrix]

my brain stimulator goes up to 11

Re:9V?

[ub3r n3u7r4l1st]

Just use a car battery witht a reverse transformer. High portability, high performance and fraction of its cost (as compare with capacity, not per unit. Car batteries capacity per dollar is much greater than 9V batteries, as lead acid battery is cheaper than alkaline.)

2ma doubles your score?

[John Hasler]

An alligator clip on each ear and plug into the wall! Score x1000!

Wear gloves, though. You don't want any of the juice to leak into your computer.

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Jeek Elemental]

that wont work, its AC. youll get 1 half period of smarts and then 1 half of stupid.

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[derGoldstein]

What if he's bipolar?

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[_133MHz]

put in a rectifier diode in line, only lets the smarts through!
or better yet, a bridge rectifier turns the stupid into smarts!

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[trapnest]

Synchronizing his bipolar cycles with 60 (or 50) Hz might be hard...

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Anonymous Coward]

or better yet, a bridge rectifier turns the stupid into smarts!

I don't care how smart it makes you, ain't nobody going to stick any probe (electrical or otherwise) near my rectum!

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[mr_mischief]

The corners of his mouth would be in amazing shape, though!

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Anonymous Coward]

if you design it wrong you may end up with a half wit rectifier

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[formfeed]

But make sure the good side points towards you, or it'll filter the smarts and let the stupids pass.

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Anonymous Coward]

Heheh...nice...unfortunately, this will go over most people's software filled mindsets.

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Neil Boekend]

And in that case you can't figure out how to fix it, because you have to much stupids.

Re:2ma doubles your score?

[Anonymous Coward]

Put it on 240V, You'll get double smarts, then neutral.

Oh Gawd

[JoeCommodore]

Guess we will start seeing this along with the prescription spam emails... And stories of some kid with seizures because they actually made/used such a contraption.

virtual war

[oliverthered]

I've found having a loaded gun and the potential for someone shooting you improves real world performance.

Re:virtual war

[Anonymous Coward]

The CIA has been applying electricity to improve memory for years. They usually use higher voltages tho.

Re:virtual war

[oliverthered]

the state penitentiary has been applying even higher voltages to help people forget for years.

Re:virtual war

[Anonymous Coward]

Though, in this case, the people they are helping aren't receiving the voltage...

Re:virtual war

[JustNiz]

It must work well!
I can't remember the name of a single person that had the electric chair.

Re:virtual war

[oliverthered]

20-life or the chair, 20-life or the chair... life shit, fuck it the chair.

Re:virtual war

[oliverthered]

fortunately I requested the prison guard as my last meal.

Re:virtual war

[happylight]

I heard having a blonde blowing you while you hack the DoD improves real world performance.

Gah, Mixed Units!

[Anonymous Coward]

500 times 2mA is 1A. 100W is only ~1A because US line current is around 110-120 volts (W = V X A). 2mA could be any number of watts, depending on the voltage. In order for 2mA to be 1/500 of 100W, it assumes a 1V signal (1V x 2mA = 2mW). If they're using 10V, it would be a 20mW, or 1/50th of a 100W bulb.

Bad science reporting strikes again! How big are those electrodes, measured in school bues?

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[blackbearnh]

Sorry, meant to say it assumes a 100V signal (100V x 2mA = 200mW, or 1/500 of 100W)

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[kvvbassboy]

It doesn't matter. P = I^2 * R, where R is the resistance of the brain. As long as the current is regulated by adding a load in series, the report is fine.

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[damnfuct]

What about in BTU/coulomb?

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[Anonymous Coward]

From TFA:

"The electrodes have an area of 0.2 LoC^2."

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[lgftsa]

No assumptions necessary. 9V is not enough to pass through skin, so the headline is obviously a throwaway line added later.

We know the power: 1/500 of 100W is 0.2W

We know the current: 0.002A

The voltage can be calculated as E = P/I = 0.2/0.002 = 100V

100V is enough to pass through some skin, especially that of the scalp.

Re:Gah, Mixed Units!

[Man On Pink Corner]

9V is not enough to pass through skin,

Well, any amount of voltage will "pass" through any amount of skin. The question is, how much current will flow.

Grab a couple of ohmmeter probes and squeeze as hard as you can, and you can probably get the reading down to about 20K ohms from one hand to the other. With saltwater-moistened electrodes a few inches apart, I could imagine 5K-10K would be achievable. At 9K ohms, 9 volts will cause a 1 mA current to flow, which is the same amount being discussed here.

So no, you don't need (or want) 100 volts. The real problem is polarity: what if I reverse the battery and instantly become too stupid to pull the plug...?

Meth

[Anonymous Coward]

I found that a big rock of crystal meth made me stay up a WHOLE FUCKING WEEK!

Battery-shortage due to Koreans

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe they'll reach 400 Actions Per Minute with this.

Feng shui mentalist cables required...

[Anonymous Coward]

The benefit of these mental stimulation devices will be maximized if you use my special synergistic low oxygen pure copper cables, which ensure that the feng shui energy flow in the yin direction and will not cause eddies in the yang.

Re:Feng shui mentalist cables required...

[trapnest]

No sir, my cables are zero oxygen pure gold. For only 3x the price of yours!

Re:Feng shui mentalist cables required...

[porl]

that's good news. i for one refuse to allow that pesky oxygen anywhere near my brain. put me down for a few sets, just in case.

Sounds Interesting

[LittleBigScript]

Let me get my thinking cap.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzap!

Re:Sounds Interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me get my thinking cap.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzap!

you forgot the lemons ;)

Obligatory Ringworld reference

[CODiNE]

http://wireheading.com/wirehead.html

Hook up the house electricity to the gamer's balls

[PolygamousRanchKid]

You want a hyped up, aggressive gamer? Take that approach instead . . . he will vanquish everyone in every game . . . but he might kill you, as well.

9 volts to the scalp? What a puny plan! Go for the full stuff, out of the socket in the wall, right on the family jewels!

It might even work to get that son out of the basement . . .

Electrolysis?

[Anonymous Coward]

Releasing oxygen & hydrogen. Just watch out so your head doesn't explode.

Compatibility?

[Jeremi]

Can I plug the battery in to my tin foil hat directly, or will I need some sort of adapter?

Re:Compatibility?

[ColdWetDog]

Can I plug the battery in to my tin foil hat directly, or will I need some sort of adapter?

This would seem to be a classic call for duct tape.

Re:Compatibility?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you sure you don't want duck tape as a qwacky adapter?

Re:Compatibility?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have replaced the aluminium with lead while making a new hat, then I shampooed with acid but didn't rinse it off. Now my head is a lead-acid battery. I charge myself in the wall at night. Now I need to find a way to change fat to electricity to charge my hat with greasy food.

Rifts Crazy!

[Pathway]

I'm sorry, but that's just Crazy!

And possible realistic sound effects?

[Anonymous Coward]

like gun shots? http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2007/06/22/exploding-9v-duracell-alkaline-battery.html

Ringworld

[Anonymous Coward]

This is going to a bad place....

ah!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm.
If stimulating brain to work better is that easy
Then that would have been very very profitable.
But i don't believe that it's just as easy as using few
electrodes and applying low voltages to out part of brain!!!!!

regards,
Math dictionary

Isn't that just electroshock therapy?

[mark-t]

Sure it can make a difference in bran functions.... that's why they always used to use it. But it sure as heck isn't good for you. That's why they banned it.

Re:Isn't that just electroshock therapy?

[Dan93]

It's not banned. Just regulated.

Re:Isn't that just electroshock therapy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes regulated. It also works shockingly well for some patients.

Overclocking the brain

[Anonymous Coward]

Directly inducing electrical current makes it "easier" for the neurons to fire.
The long-term effects of this would likely dampen normal experiences.

Hackers!

[Memroid]

I wonder when the 9V bug/feature will be added for the Valve Anti-Cheat System..

Oops, typo!

[mark-t]

Brain ! Damnit! Not "bran" Argh... I really need to remember to hit preview before submitting.

Re:Oops, typo!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like you could use a brain-battery!

Well, not...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm shocked.

Not at this voltage.

A fiond this article quite..

[Kc_spot]

shocking.

Put that in your FSB and smoke it

[billcopc]

DUH! It's common knowledge that bumping up vCore allows for higher clocks :)

Very interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

The relation of brain state to gaming performance (or performance in general) is very interesting.

Most people who play games somewhat often, have noticed that they have "good days" or "bad days".

Some days you make head shots and shoot people in the back all the time, some days it's the other way around.

It's really about different states of the mind. Something called alpha state, beta state etc, but i haven't explorer it further.

The Good State:
No itching feelings on the body.
Complete bodily comfort.
Mouse movement is very fast and precise
You read your opponent better and faster.
You make more extensive and creative reactions to your oppononts reactions.

The Bad State:
Constant or often need of scratching yourself somewhere.
Annoyance in limbs.
Mousepad friction seems more annoying.
Things happen on screen before you can react.
Slower, less precise mouse movement.
Harder time multitasking.

Most people who does a competitive sport or other repetetive hobby can probably nod in agreement to the above.

It's a huge modifier on your score. If you're playing an equally skilled opponent, it's what determines the outcome.

Affecting how the brain performs like this is interesting.

Ughh

[ModernGeek]

I'd hope that the people of slashdot would not be dumb enough to try this. You can KILL yourself with 9 VOLT BATTERY if you go through the skin. I would suggest that the editor note this in the summary. Telling, or even hinting at a crowd, especially tinkerers, to attempt such a thing is negligence. Sorry bloggers, but a "I'm not responsible" tag somewhere on the site doesn't actually make you not responsible, otherwise BP would have done that on all their rigs.

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

And nothing valuable was lost. And I'm one up in traffic in the morning.

Repeat after me "slashdot is not my nanny. Even if it were my nanny I cannot expect it to be for everyone else, however much I might want it to."

Followed by a few verses of "Safety comes from more information, not less"

Ughh indeed.

The secret is to keep banging the rocks together.

Re:Ughh

[Anubis IV]

Talking about something that is dangerous or illegal and offering a warning is a far cry from doing something that is dangerous or illegal and offering a warning. The former is likely foolish but not harmful in and of items, whereas the latter is both foolish and harmful. I agree with your general point, but using BP as your example was a poor choice.

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe this is a new feature in Slashdot's moderation system where they slip in story's with silly but lethal consequences to weed out the bad ones.

Today 50 comments, tomorrow there will be only "first post".

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

3 replies and no pointers to the fact of how absurd it is to point out that you can kill yourself with a 9v battery?

Maybe with a massive amount of autotransformation to get it up to 20 volts and running it through your brain directly, but come on.

Like one of the misinformed people who are afraid to work on their cars 12v system because it can push "1000 amps OMG!". Just a clear misunderstanding of how electricity works.

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

Sorry 20kV, not 20V

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, come on, don't be a pussy!
And a 9V battery is nothing, real men would try it with a car battery...

Re:Ughh

[ErikZ]

Maybe...if you drive it directly into your skull?

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

True, I did not consider that maybe you could shoot the battery out of a rail gun to kill someone!

Re:Ughh

[polymeris]

Like one of the misinformed people who are afraid to work on their cars 12v system because it can push "1000 amps OMG!". Just a clear misunderstanding of how electricity works.

The danger is not of electrocution, but in the sparks it can generate, combined with gas leaks or hydrogen buildup.
That is not considering batteries are full of Lead and H2SO4, of course.

Re:Ughh

[ModernGeek]

You're an idiot and know nothing about electricity. If you were to remove your skin, your body has little resistance. You can touch up to about 40 volts without it going through your skin, which is why I would like to assume that this report is pure pseudo science. If you give yourself enough voltage to go through the skin (40+ Volts), or bypass the skin by using probes that go into the skin ( less than 1 Volt ), you are pushing enough current through your body to stop the heart. It only takes milliamps to put your heart into fibrillation.

Telling a bunch of people who know nothing about electricity to start trying to push current through their skulls is a horrible idea, and an irresponsible move both on the part of Slashdot, and the author of this publication.

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

I took electrical engineering so I may have a touch of knowledge upon the subject.

A 9V battery is <40V and no one mentioned actually piercing the skin or actually removing your skin (what?) so I really don't think a 9V battery is a danger here.

Also, how are you going to ensure all the current from 2 electrodes placed ANYWHERE on the outside of the body go through your heart?

Anyways, if we were talking about higher voltages I might agree, but anyone touching themselves with a 9V battery ANYWHERE is probably a safe thing to do. Hell putting one on your tongue does not even generate enough current to make the muscle go into any kind of serious contraction, and that is about as close and low resistance as you can get.

Again, if you don't step the voltage up, or start driving nails into your skull/chest cavity and hook batteries up to them, i posit that 9V batteries can generally be considered safe, even to the uninformed.

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

Not what I'm talking about. I've had some ignorants attempt to convince me that touching the leads of a 12v car battery can lead to electrocution. The reason given was "it is current not voltage that kills and car batteries can push 1000 amps!".

It is all well and good if you don't know, but please don't try to inform others.

Hydrogen explosions are a real possibility on the other hand, but this is not to what I'm referring.

Re:Ughh

[subreality]

A quick lesson in electrical safety:

Current is what will kill you, not voltage. Greater current causes greater voltage gradients inside of you, which will disrupt neurons more and increase power dissipation, burning things. Higher voltage is more dangerous because it increases current. Decreasing resistance also increases the current. Your skin is a pretty good insulator, but if you poke wires in deep enough that they reach the wet bits that protection is lost and the current will spike way up.

Here are some measurements on myself:
2.5M ohm Probes pinched in my fingers of left and right hands
500K ohm After licking fingertips
1M ohm Across my scalp
50K ohm Across my tongue

A 9V battery isn't going to come anywhere near 2mA with any of those contacts. For anyone who wants to try wiring up their brain, though, I suggest putting a 4.7K resistor in series with the 9V battery - the added resistance is insignificant next to your skin, but when you accidentally stab the electrodes straight through your skull and into your brain it'll limit the current to safe levels.

I also suggest that a 9V battery is worthless because of the resistance of your skin. If you want this to actually work you should use a much higher voltage (such as stepping that 9V up with an oscillator driving a transformer) and a much larger value of protection resistor (Ohm's Law), to better approximate a constant-current source. A constant-current power supply is even better. Note that above 300V you're running a risk of dielectric breakdown in your skin - IE, the resistance suddenly drops - and the current will surge. You'd better have a protection resistor that can save you from the highest possible open circuit voltage of whatever power supply you use.

Start low and work your way up. 1mA is enough to put you in v-fib if it's direct to the heart. Of course, anything applied to the skin will spread out considerably before it reaches your heart - it's more like 50mA to the skin directly across the chest to induce v-fib - but it's best to have a healthy respect for what you're doing.

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

So true. I "kill myself" everytime I lick a 9V battery with my tongue.. Of course, they don't tell us the Amp, so it's all meaningless dribble. / crows are so easily fooled. +5 informative my ass! Reason /. is off my bookmark list is because of the pseudosceptic crows here. (look it up)

Re:Ughh

[tahuti]

Damage from electricity:

1. muscle contraction, this one everybody guess
2. thermal, it creates burns depending on its pathway through body, depends on time, and Ohms law
3. gas embolism, remember what happens when you put electricity in water and humans are over a half - water.

So to create damage to a human you need:

• voltage to overcome human natural resistance, if I remember safety standards 25V wet, 50V dry
• current, less than 3mA tingling, over 1500mA tissue burn
• time under current

Question for experts: effects of frequency

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

Voltage != Current. Voltage * Current = Energy. Total energy kills, due to reasons you stated.

Voltage is potential whether the circuit is open or closed. Current is energy per charge, flowing in a circuit

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup. I can attest to that. My high school teacher used to charge up these extremely large capacitors (compared to the ones you find on an old motherboard) and short circuit the leads to create spark. This happened year after year, until my 12th grade. He deliberately touched the leads with his fingers. He then proceeded to short circuit the leads again with a metal to demonstrate that he did indeed charged it up.

Re:Ughh

[subreality]

Voltage != Current. Voltage * Current = Energy. Total energy kills, due to reasons you stated.

To be pedantic, Voltage * Current = Power. Energy is Voltage * Current * Time. Regardless, I understand the point you're making: that current alone isn't a good measure of damage being done.

Here's the thing: Watts aren't a good way to measure what's being done to your body either. Since your body's resistance is fairly even inside: Current = Voltage / path length - the voltage gradient - which determines how many nerves will fire; and Current ** 2 = Power / path length - the power density - which determines how much you get burned. Of course there are a slew of factors I'm ignoring (your heart is more vulnerable than your leg; people in poor health can't take as much; and many more), but to a first approximation, current is the main variable that determines if you're in danger.

To look at it another way, 500mA down your whole arm dissipates more power and is damaging more tissue than 500mA across your fingertip... But my goal is to cause *no* damage, and current is a good indicator: 2mA won't cause burns through any path length; 500mA will mess you up whether it's over an inch or head to toe.

Voltage is potential whether the circuit is open or closed.

Correct, but I think you misunderstand the point about constant-current power supplies. A CCPS will increase its voltage until it achieves its set current. In an open circuit, that theoretically means infinity volts. In reality, a CCPS will have a maximum open-circuit voltage. You want a resistor of large enough value that when contact is made (or the voltage rises high enough to cause dielectric breakdown in your skin) that it'll dump the stored charge into you gently rather than arcing through you.

Re:Ughh

[Neil Boekend]

Even if you choose to drive a couple of nails through your skull and attach a 9V battery to them you will probably not die of the battery. I would estimate the nails themselves and the potential for infection they cause are more dangerous than the current they allow. People do sometimes survive touching 240V (although it is inadvisable. I found it very painful) and in rare occasions they even survive a lightning strike.
With nails driven through you skull 99.999% of the current will NOT go through your heart, by the way.

Re:Ughh

[flonker]

Resistance is Futile
1999 Darwin Award Nominee
Unconfirmed by Darwin
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-50.html

Re:Ughh

[Anonymous Coward]

You're an idiot and know nothing about electricity. If you were to remove your skin. . .

If I removed my skin, I wouldn't be too worried about being electrocuted any more.

Re:Ughh

[DarkOx]

I don't know what you think, but that car battery is VERY dangerous. You are right at 12-14vdc its unlikely you are going to get allot of current across your body but you COULD under the right conditions, like say if you were cut or your skin has lots of a very conductive fluid like um gasoline for instance. Theses are things that certainly can happen working on a car.

No its not as dangerous as the AC lines in your house but its not safe.

Re:Ughh

[anethema]

Agreed on all points haha.

Just wanted to drive the point home that 9v batteries are not dangerous and no one should consider them so.

Remember the OP's point was that 9v on your skin can "KILL YOU". Absurd claim.

Customers who bought..

[Anonymous Coward]

The new TurboCharged Bawls 9V DECIMATOR battery also bought Razr Asp Electrode Pack.

Bad news waiting to happen...

[Anonymous Coward]

IANA neuroscientist, but surely we don't know enough about the brain to know that this is safe? Clearly the brain is incredibly fragile, but unlike a motherboard or whatever you can't just go out and buy a new one if you fry it. Short term gains aren't worth the possible damage we could do in the long run. Of course I don't *know* that it's dangerous, but I really don't want to take the risk!

This is old news

[Sla$hPot]

This is old news ( ref. Donald Duck pocket books )
http://duckman.pettho.com/characters/gyro.html

Re:This is old news

[ginbot462]

Well duh, Donald Duck has invented everything. Check out this cracked article breaking it down for you.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19021_5-amazing-things-invented-by-donald-duck-seriously.html

Obligatory.

[tantaliz3]

http://img191.imageshack.us/i/vlcsnap2011041713h15m12.png/

Drill Sergeants take note

[Culture20]

Electrically stimulating your five foot tall, doe-eyed, sacks of human waste by taping a 9-volt battery to their newly shaved heads won't have the same effect.

Re:Drill Sergeants take note

[Lifyre]

No but it will be fucking hilarious in the duty hut...

AC/DC

[speculatrix]

some people are AC, some DC, and some like AC/DC.

Re:AC/DC

[Anonymous Coward]

And some people like either/or applied directly to the genitals.

I'm not kidding. Google "Violet Wand" and "E-Stim".

Re:AC/DC

[mrzaph0d]

for those about to shock, we salute you.

If 9 volts is good...

[QuietLagoon]

... would 12 volts be better? Maybe, maybe not, but that is what some may think.

.
I do not see all this ending up in a good place.

I seriously wonder why it is being suggested to apply voltage to one's brain?

Re:If 9 volts is good...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you read TFA you'll find that it's the current, polarity, and location of the electrodes that makes all the difference, not the voltage. The voltage simply needs to be regulated in order to keep the current at a constant 100mA. The subjects with 100mA performed significantly better than those with 200mA.

The 9v battery reference is from a statement that was made to describe how easy it would be for someone to make one at home, despite the risks of incompetent application.

Wrong math.

[jovetoo]

Am I the only one that thinks 0.002 Watt x 500 does not make 100 Watt?

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I the only one that thinks 0.002 Watt x 500 does not make 100 Watt?

Yes. Watts aren't Amps.

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I the only one that thinks 0.002 Watt x 500 does not make 100 Watt?

Well 100W at 9V = 11.11111111111111 Amps of current, and this uses 2 milliamps, which if you do 11 / 500 you get 0.022 amps, which is 22 miliamps, which is one 500th of a 100W bulb at 9V. Not exactly 2 miliamps but still, not exactly a massive amount!

Re:Wrong math.

[kundziad]

0.002 Amperes * 500 = 1 A, presumably what a standard light bulb draws (at 100 Volts). DC Power = voltage * current

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

2 mA, not 2 mW.
And 0.002 A x 500 is quite close to 100 W / 110 V.

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

Power (RMS) = voltage x current

Therefore current = power / voltage

the current is inversely proportion to the voltage.

So with 230V ac (UK), current = 100 / 230 = 0.435A. 1/500 is approx 1mA.

I suspect the author is in the US. Voltage = 110V ac so current = 100 /110 = 0.909A. 1/500 is 1.8mA so, yes that is about 2mA.

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes that is correct. However, that is not what is said in the summary. I know reading the article is not cool anymore, but at least try and read the summary properly.

Re:Wrong math.

[Vegar]

First of all: it was 0.002 amps, not 0.002 watt.

Second: You cannot compare current (amps) to power (watt) like it was done in the summary. Power is the product of current and voltage (P=U*I, or P=V*I if you're American). 2 mA can in fact be 100% of the amount drawn by a 100W light bulb if the voltage across the light bulb is 50kV (50000*0.002 = 100) (Assuming the bulb was built for 50kV, but that is a whole different story)

</smartass>

Re:Wrong math.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Am I the only one that thinks 0.002 Watt x 500 does not make 100 Watt?"

You are the only one who thinks 0.002A = 0.002W

resistance is futile

[mt1955]

We have encountered the Borg ... and they are us.

Re:Wrong units.

[Anonymous Coward]

Wong units.

0.002A not 0.002W. It is current not wattage.

0.002A x 500 x 120V = 120W

Re:Hook up the house electricity to the gamer's ba

[mr_mischief]

At least you're less likely to have grandkids in the basement after that trick.

This is nothing new.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hulda Clark wrote extensively about using positive offset DC electricity (as that found in 9v batteries) to kill parasites and bacteria in the body. THAT is why the improvement in brain activity occurs - positive offset DC electricity disables viruses, kills bacteria, and boosts the immune system in general. Those test subjects had chronic parasitism in the brain (and we all do, look up Toxoplasma, if you've been around cats you most likely have it! And if you've eaten medium-rare meat you've got worms too.)

For more info, see Pg 38 of this PDF (or pg 14 of the book). She explains how she came across this discovery.
http://www.electroherbalism.com/Bioelectronics/HuldaClark/cure.pdf

Of course, most will dismiss this as quackery because the pharmaceutical companies have done a great job at disinformation. The fact that you can get rid of many chronic diseases cheaply at home, without a doctor, poses a HUGE threat to Big Pharma and the health insurance companies. So you will never hear about this on the news, and if you do, it will be presented with fake studies saying it doesn't work.

You can build a zapper for $30, probably less nowadays. Try one and see for yourself. I use one regularly and have not had to go to a doctor in years. The first time you use one, when you see how it really does work, it is like taking the red pill and suddenly realizing how much of a sham our entire media is. They are all in cahoots with Merck and co.

rolling their own

[Okonomiyaki]

Am I the only one that was expecting to see this after clicking that link?
http://www.superblogettes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/doc-brown-back-to-the-future-1985.jpg

www.happyshopping100.com

[irisggg]

our website: http://www.happyshopping100.com/ watches price 75$ Air jordan(1-24)shoes $30 Nike shox(R4,NZ,OZ,TL1,TL2,TL3) $35 Hndbags(Coach lv fendi d&g) $35 Tshirts (Polo ,ed hardy,lacoste) $16 Jean(True Religion,ed hardy,coogi) $30 Sunglasses(Oakey,coach,gucci,Armaini) $15 New era cap $10 Bikini (Ed hardy,polo) $25 FREE SHIPPING,accept paypal free shipping accept paypal credit card lower price fast shippment with higher quality BEST QUALITY GUARANTEE!! SAFTY & HONESTY GUARANTEE!! FAST & PROMPT DELIVERY GUARANTEE!! **** http://www.happyshopping100.com/ ***

caffeine and car batteries?

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone else love electrocuting the fuck out of their taint while listening to heavy metal and chugging shots of espresso?

WTF??

[Anonymous Coward]

"when you accidentally stab the electrodes straight through your skull and into your brain"

Slashdotters must have incredibly thin skulls if they can pull off that trick.

Re:WTF??

[subreality]

Fortunately I have a thick skull. Wait...

This is basically overclocking...

[dimethylxanthine]

So somebody needs to come up with a portable way to effectively cool your bio overclocked CoreDuo.
And don't say propeller beanie!

*smack* :)

Re:Wrong math - wrong units

[Anonymous Coward]

I had the same thought and then reread the units.
0.002 mA (milliamps, not watts)
Then I thought, well I could do the maths, but is he talking about a 100W lightbulb running on a 110V supply or a 220V-240V supply.
Then I saw something shiny...

via electrodes placed on the scalp

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, personal experience tells me that placing electrodes on your testicles has an even greater effect on the gaming experience.

Two MILLIamps? Ouch!

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I the only one astounded by this? I don't think two milliamps is a mild current, at least not for a human!

(Back of the envelope: your typical dry skin resistance is in the couple-of-megaohms range. To deliver two milliamps, you'd be around the kilovolt range. I *know* the feel of 220V: Ouch!)

Let's be careful...

[srsguy]

While I do find this very interesting and a great thing to research, let's leave this to the people in the lab coats. The last thing I want to see is some kid accidentally electrocuting himself because he wants to do better in call of duty.

Wonderful work editors, once again!

[Anonymous Coward]

How bout people who don't stick 'trodes to their skull?! Sounds like a pretty remarkable group to consider.....

Maybe /. editors used this technology in the past... with way too high voltages. Certainly not going to RTFA after such a turnoff summary blurp.

Research says this only works for war games?

[Anonymous Coward]

So I won't be able to harvest faster in Farmville?

Quack

[HBI]

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/clark.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulda_Regehr_Clark

Note the redundant use of the word "fraudulent".

Quack quack.

Re:Quack

[pyrr]

Wow, that almost makes Doug Moon (http://dougmoon.com) look sane.

Okay, not really, but at least he doesn't seem to be fleecing people for the big bucks with his particular brand of lunacy, like "alternative medicine" freaks or $cientologists do. He just believes that to cure yourself, you just need to eat peaches. Lots and lots and lots of peaches.

Good idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

Pillowcase full of doorknobs works well too.