Brain-Zapping Gadgets Need Regulation, Say Scientists (ieee.org)

the_newsbeagle writes: You can now buy gadgets online that send electric current through your scalp to stimulate your brain. Why would you want to do that? Because the easy technique, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is being investigated as a treatment for depression, a rehab aid for stroke patients, a learning enhancer for healthy people, and for many other neuropsychiatric applications.

However, the technique is so new that companies selling brain-zapping gadgets aren't bound by any regulations, and experts are worried that consumers will end up buying devices that aren't safe or simply aren't effective. So scientists and some manufacturers recently got together to discuss the scope of the problem, and what can be done about it.
Earlier IEEE reported that "Professional basketball, baseball, and American football teams are also experimenting with it," adding that some Olympic athletes, including sprinters and swimmers, even used a premarket version of one brain-zapping device to prepare for the Olympics in Rio.

Comments

Logical Progression

[LeftCoastThinker]

You can go buy alcohol, that kills brain cells, but also kills your liver. We're in the process of legalizing MJ and that definitely kills brain cells, but is worse than cigarettes for your lungs. The droud (Ringworld series by Larry Niven, direct electrical stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain) is the logical progression. Those who want to check out of reality can do so for pennies a day and their bodies stay perfectly healthy to be used as organ farms later on to pay for the cost of their living expenses.