Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology say that electroshock therapy may boost math skills when applied to an area of the brain known to be associated with math ability.

Roi Cohen Kadosh of the University of Oxford says that it only takes five days of electroshock therapy to see long-lasting improvements in mathematical abilities.

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that the improvements last for six months after electroshock therapy was completed. While very little of how transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS) works is known, evidence suggests that TRNS helps the brain work more efficiently by making neurons fire in concert.

Previously, Kadosh and his team had demonstrated that a different form of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) could improve a person’s ability to commit to memory and process new numbers.

However, TRNS has several advantages over this form of TES. First, TRNS is even loss noticeable to those being treated with it. Second, TRNS has the capacity to help a greater number of people because it has been demonstrated to better calculations in your head. This is a task that more than 20 percent of people have trouble with.

Kadosh believes that this field of research could someday help humans maximize their cognitive potential in math and other subjects. Different forms of TES could also help patients dealing with neurodegenerative illness or various learning difficulties.

Kadosh says that if researchers can improve mathematics, it is also likely that they can improve simpler cognitive functions.