Oxford researchers have found that mild shocks to the brain may improve math skills. To accomplish this technique, the researchers place electrodes on the scalp of the head and utilize random electrical noise to stimulate regions of the brain and convince nerve cells to fire. The electrodes stimulate areas of the brain believed to be linked to an individual’s aptitude for math.

Known as transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS), this technique is physically harmless, non-invasive and not very expensive.

To record the effect of TRNS-accompanied cognitive training on a person’s mathematical abilities, Oxford researchers gave 51 students two mathematical challenges over a five-day period that tested their capacity for making calculations in their head and memorizing math facts.

Dr. Roi Cohen Kadosh of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology says that the researchers found that with only five days of TRNS-aided intellectual training, the students saw significant improvements in cognitive and brain functions. They also discovered that the improvements stuck around for six months after the TRNS-aided cognitive training was completed.

Cohen Kadosh and his colleagues think that TRNS helps the effectiveness with which stimulated brain regions utilize their stocks of oxygen and nutrients.

Before this approach is utilized in clinical or classroom settings, however, researchers need to learn more about the socio-ethical, financial and scientific roadblocks they might face. Cohen Kadosh wants to repeat the experiment with a larger and more diverse group of participants.

While TRNS seems to be painless, there is still a lot that researchers do not know about TRNS. The technique is part of a group of techniques called transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) that have been shown to positively affect various cognitive skills.

Cohen Kadosh wants future experiments to look for any disadvantages to using TES. This study’s findings suggest that TRNS fails to impact an individual’s performance on non-mathematical cognitive tasks, either positively or negatively.

This study was published in the journal Current Biology.

What sort of applications might this technique have in clinical or classroom settings? Would you try this technique to boost your math skills? What sort of socio-ethical, financial and scientific roadblocks might the researchers face? Sound off in the comments section.