• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Overclocking your brain with electrical stimulation - BBC article

Status
Not open for further replies.
A couple years ago I started taking a couple nootropic pills, can't remember which ones but it was a pretty common combination. After a few weeks it made me seriously, deeply depressed. I went off them, tried it again a year later and the same thing happened.

Fuck that shit.

-edit-
Just looked at my amazon order history- it was Piracetam & Inositol/Choline.

How much choline were you taking? A common side effect of too much choline consumption is depression. Personally I can not take over 200 mg before it affects my mood.
 
Literally everything you do fucks with your brain in some way. Even using the internet is effecting your brain. Or reading a book.

I think we can all agree that shooting electric current into your head is quite different from routinely using your senses. Let's call that routine activity "interacting" with your brain and the electric current "fucking" with it. Okay?
 

BPoole

Member
Finally, I've been stuck with this slow ass brain clocked at 1.5ghz for almost 25 years. I'll water cool my brain and crank it up to 3Ghz
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
How much choline were you taking? A common side effect of too much choline consumption is depression. Personally I can not take over 200 mg before it affects my mood.

I honestly have no idea. I don't recall taking more than what was recommended.
 

Harlock

Member
Ancients_repository_of_knowledge.jpg
 
It's funny. People say they would never try to enhance their brains with stuff like this. That is, until, they lose a potential job or other opportunity to someone who has.

If I could use technology like this to significantly increase my intellect, even if it had to be implanted, I would do it. Intellect is the only trait I really care about.
 

adamYUKI

Member
this is bad, you should read into nootropics. People can seriously fuck up their brains by taking "smart drugs." I just took astaxanthin (60-90 pills in total) and it seriously fucked up my concentration/focus levels for at least 1 year or more.

Hi - can you please describe in detail your experience with astaxanthin? Isn't it supposed to be the most powerful antioxidant or something? I took it (Bioastin one 12mg pill daily) for about 8 months and honestly can't tell if it had any effect on me. :/

I was thinking about reordering, but will hold off now.
 

Cyan

Banned
It's funny. People say they would never try to enhance their brains with stuff like this. That is, until, they lose a potential job or other opportunity to someone who has.

It would be pretty sad if something like this turned into just another productivity boost whose yields are entirely captured by capital owners.

At least there'd be personal benefits, I suppose.
 
It's funny. People say they would never try to enhance their brains with stuff like this. That is, until, they lose a potential job or other opportunity to someone who has.

If I could use technology like this to significantly increase my intellect, even if it had to be implanted, I would do it. Intellect is the only trait I really care about.

This method of cognitive enhancement is still extremely new and little to no long term side effects are known. We have no idea if this is safe. If you want to get serious about cognitive enhancement look into nootropics. Piracetam is a common one and has almost 50 years of research behind it.
 
This method of cognitive enhancement is still extremely new and little to no long term side effects are known. We have no idea if this is safe. If you want to get serious about cognitive enhancement look into nootropics. Piracetam is a common one and has almost 50 years of research behind it.

So is the internet. Yet we all use it every day in ways that can easily be described as "cognitive enhancement." That's why I used the job example; when people are benefiting at your expense right now, possible future side effects are irrelevant.
 

gazele

Banned
It's a shame that radiolab shorts don't have transcripts, but some of the cons regarding amateur tDCS should be mentioned:

-Short period of blindness
-Depression
-Anxiousness (after-effect.)

It's not something I would try till more study is available.

Key point being amateur, making amateur alcohol can kill you as well

This is similar to another technology called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) which "can" cause seizures if done improperly

I need to read more about tCDS but it could be interesting in a clinical setting, i don't think the FDA would ever approve something like this for commercial use
 
D

Deleted member 13876

Unconfirmed Member
Too late to link the Radiolab episode I see. I'm strangely interested in this. Would like to see more actual science on this.
 
Hi - can you please describe in detail your experience with astaxanthin? Isn't it supposed to be the most powerful antioxidant or something? I took it (Bioastin one 12mg pill daily) for about 8 months and honestly can't tell if it had any effect on me. :/

I was thinking about reordering, but will hold off now.

I started taking it around August or September 2012. Prior to that I just stuck with a good diet and exercise (cardio 4-5 times a week as recommended by the book "spark - the revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain.") That entire year I studied advance university math, and passed with an average of 85% in 5 classes. It was incredible.

Astaxanthin reduced my anxiety levels, it helped me relax in tense situations, but gradually I started losing focus on my studies, I couldn't concentrate as well, dropped subjects... I feel taking that drug changed my brain and it took me a while to recover from that nosedive.

I think eating fish like salmon is fine, drinking green tea is great! but when you take supplements like l-theanine or astaxanthin in high doses, it could cause anything. None of them are well studied, long term effects are unknown

edit: i should mention my body is very sensitive and even eating wheat has a bad effect on my brain. my body is abnormal and I have to be careful of the stuff I put in my mouth.
 
It would be pretty sad if something like this turned into just another productivity boost whose yields are entirely captured by capital owners.

At least there'd be personal benefits, I suppose.

If private enterprises are jumping onto it already then you can bet it's for capital gains but not for more independent thinkers. My guess is it increases focus, which I can see as truly beneficial from an employer's point of view. Another stimulate to supplement coffee and cigarettes.
 
Do we fully understand the effects of the internet on the human brain? Really? I'd love to read some of the studies you've read on how it effects things such as language development, or social development.

It's pretty easy to find that stuff with a simple google search.

The Internet's been "mainstream" for over 20 years now. There are kids who grew up always having Internet.
 

Air

Banned
I wouldn't use it. I'm kind of against willingly shocking my brain into a different state. Sounds like it'll lead to problems.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom