At-home brain stimulation: Brain zapping devices to improve focus grow in popularity
The use of at-home brain stimulation devices including tDCS is flourishing among a group of enthusiasts, who say the tool gives them a mental edge.
In 2021, Craig Gibbons was diagnosed with Lyme disease. His doctor prescribed him antibiotics, but the medication failed to eliminate one of his most debilitating symptoms: a lasting brain fog that made it difficult for him to focus or recall information.
So he went with a different approach: at-home brain stimulation.
Over the past few years, Gibbons had been experimenting with transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, which delivers weak electrical currents to the brain through electrodes attached to the head.
Experts unsure about use of at-home brain zapping treatmentsFeb. 6, 202302:57Brain stimulation comes in many different forms, but they are all centered on the same idea: sending tiny zaps to specific parts of the brain to alter its activity. Some of its uses are well-established: transcranial magnetic stimulation is used in hospitals and clinics as a way to treat depression. Another version, deep brain stimulation, involves surgically implanting electrodes in the brain, and has been used for years to ease symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Gibbons, 32, of New York City, had heard it could be used to alleviate symptoms of brain fog.
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