Brain stimulation increases monkeys’ ability to quickly perform tasks (2017) | Hacker News Reader

Brain stimulation increases monkeys’ ability to quickly perform tasks (2017)

futurism.com

58 pointsprostoalex26 comments

Title should sound more like this:Increased learning speed in monkeys. It's also from 2017. As we are now two years later, have these findings been replicated with humans?

Yeah, there's been a bunch of studies published on how this works for humans too. Just a matter of moderation. Only thing is, we don't know about long term effects (if any) yet.

It seems to be following the same path as ECT, LENS, TMS, etc, electric or magnetic stimulation showing improvements in memory, and cognition, especially in those with deficiencies from issues such as severe depression, bipolar, ADD/ADHD, schizophrenia, PTSD, and I want to say TMS helps with autism symptoms too?

In any case, it's purpose is mainly for those with disorders, although I'm sure we'll see plenty of people sell it as a nootropic.

It's worth noting that these improvements from current therapies I mentioned seem to mostly benefit those with disorders and not neurotypical people (don't expect a 40% improvement if you're normal. But if you can't get out of your home because of depression then yeah it might be a bigger improvement)

Should be tagged (2017)

tDCS is not a new technology by any means.

I did a week long retreat last year using a prototype tDCS device made specifically as a beta for helping mindfulness practice. I found it useful as an aid definitely in relaxation and as a byproduct for focusing. I would do it more often if they figured out a cheap, sustainable way to put the electrodes on the head without all the gels/sponges/etc.

Probably a lot simpler if you shave your head, no?

https://thinkhumm.com/

> without all the gels/sponges/etc.

I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon. ECG/EKG/EEG's require the probes to have a good electrical connection to your skin. And dry skin is a pretty terrible conductor.

The gels help the probe adhere to you skin and provide better conductivity. You'd still need something to hold it in place anyway.

Protip for removing the gel: Warm water helps a lot :D

Warm water for sponge electrodes? I can’t imagine water being helpful for gel electrodes.

Sorry I should've explained, warm water helps remove the gel afterwards.

If you ever have a sleep study for example they place them all over your head and it's a little messy, warm water lets it wash right out.

Ah ok I thought you meant using water as a medium for stimulation with gel electrodes. But yeah sadly I know exactly what you mean, I’ve had to clean a lot of gel electrodes.

It would be nice to know what the potential long term damage of something like this is. Relate it to exercise. You work out one group of muscles all the time as much as you can, and the rest of the body is near worthless.

At best you have someone who is basically an idiot savant. At worst, you have someone who has forgotten basic life functions, but handles being a soldier like the best of them.

> At best you have someone who is basically an idiot savant. At worst, you have someone who has forgotten basic life functions, but handles being a soldier like the best of them.

From both an industrial and military perspective, this seems like a feature, not a bug.

In fact, it really brings to mind a similar fictional concept, stylized Focus, from Vernon Vinge's Deepness in the Sky. Here, Vinge describes how teams of these "idiot savants", specialized in a certain area, are led by neurotypical managers who direct their output toward broader strategic goals.

If this was repeatably and broadly applicable in human learning, I could definitely imagine this achieving widespread usage, especially in developing countries willing to exchange personal well-being for collective (familial or societal) success.

Would be cool if implants like Neuralink could include features like this or interact with technology like this somehow.

Most notable thing about this link is that it hijacked the back button on my phone.

Agreed, I was really hoping this kind of deceptive crap wouldn't still be present in 2019?

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "hijack"?

Upon finishing the article, I tried to click the back button. It reloaded the same page I was already on instead of going back to HN.

I'm curious, why would you not open random links into a separate incognito tab?

Doesn't everybody do this today?

Are you seriously asking if anybody today opens links by simply tapping on them?

Is this some sort of weird fake-question nerd-brag?

Yes I was asking that.

No bragging, fake question.

Then my answer is "no. I don't." And nobody else does either. You are probably the only person in the whole world who does this, or close enough to be a rounding error. :)

Do you open links in the same tab you're already in?

Then, say you're on HN, do you use the back button to go back to HN?

I might be in the minority to use incognito tabs for "random sites", but I've seen a lot of people opening links into different tabs.

When I'm on my computer, I open almost all links in separate tabs. When I'm on my phone, generally I click the link and click the back button.

Think about it, you're only one step away from using incognito tabs, which avoid polluting your main browser with cookies.

To me that's even more important on mobile where we tend to clean our browsers less often.

Frankly, I could never trust the motives behind anyone who made this sort of thing without the most intense scrutiny.

Maybe in the early stages when no one really knows any better, but as things get refined, I have severe doubts that "little tweaks" here and there would not be attempted in search of ways to engineer people\brain matter that agrees with you (the maker/auditor)'s sensibilities.

In fact, scratch that, this reeks of the idea of nerve stapling in the early stages. Hard pass.

Sometimes, it just isn't worth opening the box. Hate coming off as a Luddite, but I've read enough to know where this type of thing inevitably strays into.

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