"Give them the gift of words"
"Give them the gift of words"
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), uses low-voltage electrical current via sponge electrodes to stimulate certain regions of the brain. This technique has been around for more than 200 years however during the second half of the 20th century scientists began realizing the true potential of tDCS and started to develop principles of how to best make use of this technique. Today, there are many commercial tDCS devices and one of the best among them is the Omni Stimulator tDCS kit.
Although tDCS has been used and tested for a host of medical purposes including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and many other clinical diagnoses, it has been more recently recognized as a great tool for improving the potential of the brain in healthy individuals including learning capabilities. tDCS can improve memory, cognition and reading abilities, its use in vocabulary training and vocabulary building is also fascinating. Several studies have investigated the use of tDCS in different aspects of learning a new language and expanding vocabulary. Moreover, if practiced enough, the effects of tDCS on vocabulary expansion become long-term.
The Omni stimulator is very easy to use. A low-voltage electrical current is delivered to the specific portions of the brain which changes the physiology of the nerve cells in that region making them more active. The end result is that memorizing words, focusing on reading content become easier as you are literally giving your brain a hardwired boost.
The Omni stimulator consists of a current regulation device, sponge electrodes, a headband. I had the Omni Brain Stimulator setup in less than a minute. I first placed the sponges in saline solution to the regions of the scalp as specified in the instructions. Then attached the clips to the sponges and fixed to my forehead with the headband. Follow the instructions on how to adjust the voltage appropriately to best fit your purpose. I found 1.5mA was what worked best for me however and I did notice a difference but let’s look at some studies.
One group study investigated the effects of tDCS on vocabulary training and memorizing of words. The participants were distributed into two groups, of which one received tDCS stimulation, while the control group received no stimulation. Both groups engaged in language learning during the period of brain stimulation. The results were astonishing! The participants from the tDCS group had significantly higher scores on the tests. After five consecutive days, the overall test results were also significantly better in persons receiving tDCS. Many in the trial have reported improved cognition and amhigher motivation to learn, which resulted in better ability to reproduce the read content. This is especially true for language learners, who succeeded to memorize much more phrases and words than usual.
I started using Omni stimulator 2 months ago with the aim to improve my English vocabulary primarily, but also to try to learn German at a faster rate after some after hearing and reading about tDCS studies. I started to use the Omni stimulator exactly according to the instructions from the manual and believe it or not, I have noticed improvement in language after the very first session. I was able to reproduce the learned content more efficiently and with much less errors than usual. Wearing a headband while learning was a bit uncomfortable during the first week, but I accommodated to it very fast and I don’t even notice it anymore. I have started to experience the long-term effects of tDCS.
In my opinion, devices such as Omni Stimulator help us extend the natural capacity of our brains by providing us with the stronger ability to learn, improved focus and better our memories.
This tDCS technology is very exciting for those wanting to improve their reading speeds.
References
Meinzer M, Jähnigen S, Copland DA, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation over multiple days improves learning and maintenance of a novel vocabulary. Cortex. 2014 Jan;50:137-47. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.07.013. Epub 2013 Aug 6.
Monti A, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and language. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2013;84:832–842. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2012-302825.
Liuzzi G, Freundlieb N, Ridder V. The involvement of the left motor cortex in learning of a novel action word lexicon. Curr Biol. 2010 Oct 12;20(19):1745-51. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.08.034. Epub 2010 Sep 30.
Paulus W. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Suppl Clin Neurophysiol. 2003;56:249-54.