ABSTRACT
Neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and medical ethicists have considered the benefits and risks of electrical brain stimulation, with particular concerns about direct-to-consumer tDCS. Still, people are eager to try it, as therapy or as brain booster, as shown in a tDCS Reddit forum where more than 10,000 members trade tips. Nineteenth century medicine went on to better understand the brain by recording its electrical activity, leading to today’s electroencephalograms. Then 20th century neuroscience and psychiatry adopted actual therapeutic electrical interventions in the brain. Deep brain stimulation, where a “brain pacemaker” implanted in the chest produces electric pulses, came later. Compared to brain surgery or memory loss, tDCS is non-invasive and heals without cognitive damage. It is a research tool as well, allowing scientists to study how specific neural processes cause human behavior. The U. S. Air Force has supported one such study, which is aimed at enhancing human performance in situations like remotely piloting a drone aircraft.
