Debate: In the field of neurostimulation, what comes first, Published Research or Patents?

The Brain-Zapping Olympians (The Ringer): “Gaining jacked-up physical powers from frontal-lobe-electrifying headgear sounds like a half-baked superhero origin story. It’s also a premise that athletes are buying as reality. NBA players and Olympians are wearing a brain-stimulation device called Halo Sport in an attempt to transform into champions. The $649 Halo Sport is sold by a San Francisco startup called Halo Neuroscience…its primary purpose is to electrically trigger the brain using a method called transcranial direct-current stimulation, or tDCS. The science is knotty, but Halo’s sales pitch is fairly simple: Electric pulses emitted from the headset will jolt the brain’s motor cortex, boosting athletic performance. Without any additional physical effort, and just by adding fancy headgear to their training regimen (they can also be worn while at rest), an athlete can biohack their way to victory. Halo claims that this brain zapping will put your brain into a special state of “hyperplasticity.” The theory, according to the company’s website, is that the transcranial direct-current stimulation helps “build optimized neuronal circuity for athletic movement—similar to how proper nutrition makes training more productive for the body to build muscle.” In other words, it’s like a “preworkout for the brain,” using electricity instead of creatine dust. It’s a bold claim—one that some neuroscientists believe is overblown… UCLA clinical psychology p...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Technology biohack boost performance brain stimulation device brain-stimulation brain-zapping Halo Neuroscience Halo Sport hyperplasticity neurostimulation patents peer-reviewed scientif Source Type: blogs