the most interesting part is at the very tip of the inverted pyramid:
"The scientists also trained another group of people on the same game, but with a twist. They put a battery on top of the head of each subject, sending a small current through the surface of the brain toward a group of neurons in the primary motor cortex. The electric stimulation allowed people to learn the game better. By the end of five days of training, the battery-enhanced players could move the cursor faster and make fewer errors than the control group."
This is the second time this week I've seen something about neuroscience moving from correlation to causation. I can't remember where I saw the other one but it had to do with people making different moral judgments when certain brain regions were stimulated
I also found this to be the most interesting part of the article. I was surprised that the current had a positive, localized effect, even though it was being applied to the skin instead of the brain itself.
I think the article's speculation on doping athletes (and perhaps other learners) with electrical stimulation is quite valid... The article links to the research paper, which lists the exact device and method used, and it looks to be cheap, widely available, unregulated, non-invasive, and undetectable. I wonder if there are any long-term side effects?
This is the second time this week I've seen something about neuroscience moving from correlation to causation. I can't remember where I saw the other one but it had to do with people making different moral judgments when certain brain regions were stimulated