Cutting Learning Time in Half By Using Small Electrical Shocks to the Brain

Amaze Lab

If I told you, you could accelerate the pace at which you learn new things using science would you do it? What if that included electric shocks to your brain? Well, that’s exactly what scientists were looking to find out in a recent study and it turns out it actually works.

Transcript

00:00If I told you you could accelerate the pace at which you learn new things using science,

00:07would you do it? What if that included electric shocks to your brain? Well, that's exactly what

00:12scientists were looking to find out in a recent study. And it turns out it actually works. They

00:17taught doctors how to use a new type of robotic surgery tools in virtual reality, with one group

00:22doing so with only one electrical wave, essentially a placebo shock, while the other received a

00:26targeted electrical current to their cerebellum throughout their learning process. What the

00:30researchers found was that not only did the group that received the continued shock learn quicker,

00:34they learned how to control the robotic tool 50% quicker. According to the researchers, quote,

00:39the group that didn't receive stimulation struggled a bit more to apply the skills they learned in

00:44virtual reality to the actual robot, especially the most complex moves involving quick motions.

00:49This new evidence corroborates previous studies, which showed a link between this type of brain

00:53stimulation and motor learning and rehabilitation therapy. And this could be a boon for learning

00:58in VR, as it has long been useful, but came with limitations as real world skills are hard to

01:03transfer without tactile feeling. The researchers add this could be a boon to training real world skills

01:08across myriad industries, reducing the resources and time needed for building those skills.

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