Neurostimulation: Bright sparks : Nature @ Nature Publishing Group.

Lincoln walks into the neurohacker meeting I am attending in a garage in San Francisco. He takes off his flat-brimmed baseball cap, exposing two small, red burns on the side of his face. The day before, he tried a brain-stimulation method called transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) for the first time. “It was pretty intense,” he says.

…

Neuroscientists who have been studying the use of low-intensity electrical current to stimulate the brain have produced tantalizing results that have, not surprisingly, encouraged amateur use. They have shown boosts in learning, memory and performance on mathematical tests, as well as early success in treating depression and helping the recovery of those who have had a stroke. Brain stimulation is easy to do at home, either by building a tDCS set-up using some simple wiring and a battery, or buying one ready-to-use from any of the ten or so companies selling them online. Some users are seeking cognitive enhancement, whether it’s to achieve mindfulness or a memory boost; others are trying to treat mental illnesses such as depression.

Read more.

Great article, talked about the “San Francisco hacker community” – the research (and lack of) with some biohacking that is happening in the lab and the hackerspaces.