The most complex organ that baffles scientists even in the 21^st century has to be brain.  It is so complex, that aside from the few things we have learned, much is still unknown and undiscovered.

Here are 6 things that we know for sure.

Your brain is shrinking!

Yes, you heard it right. If there was a competition between you and your ancestor, he would win, in brain size at least. The scientists have discovered that our brains are in fact 9 cubic inches smaller than the ones our ancestors had 5,000 years ago! But despair not, as it’s not all about the size. Some researchers believe that the reason why our brains are shrinking has to do with our brain efficiency, i.e. the more efficient we are, the smaller our brains get.

It is a real hog!

For an organ so small in size, just 2 percent of our whole body, it does use quite a lot of glucose, as much as 25%, and one-fifth of all of the oxygen found in our blood.

Your brain can’t hurt!

Though our brains are in charge of detecting and processing pain, they cannot actually feel pain. Now the all familiar scene when a surgeon keeps poking a brain of the patient who is fully awake starts to make sense, right? The reason why your brain can’t feel pain lies in its lack of pain receptors. But, just because your brain can’t feel it, it doesn’t mean you can start poking your head, as our skulls and brain tissue do have pain receptors.

It has two types of memories!

Ever stop to wonder why you can repeat the number that a person has given you two seconds after he said it but you can’t recall it after a few hours or ever days? Well here’s the answer. Our brains are equipped with two types of memories; working memory, the one that stores information that happened a few seconds ago, the same one that is used while you are reading this, and the long term memory, where all those lovely recollections of that heavenly holiday are stored for good, or at least until Alzheimer’s takes it over.

It never stops changing

The beauty of an organ such as the brain is that it never stops developing. New pathways between the neurons are created whenever you learn something new; a language, sport etc.  Thanks to the plasticity of our brain, it is possible for stroke patients to start talking and moving again. This never-ending superpower gives a chance to start over again. But that is not all! Many scientists agree that the plasticity of the brain can be enhanced using different outer stimuli, such as tDCS. Though transcranial direct current stimulation, (stimulating different parts of the brain using low current) to increase performance through an apparatus such as the TheBrainDriver is still being researched, some studies show improvement with concentration, working memory and with patients suffering from depression. And whereas some people report that tDCS makes them high, and others that it calms them down, there isn’t enough substantial evidence for tDCS to be FDA regulated - A fact that seems to have passed unnoticed by the Army, as they are currently experimenting with tDCS, as a way to advance human performance in air. If it’s good for the Army, well, you might as well try it. The worst thing that could happen is a tingling sensation felt on your skull.

No, neurons aren’t everything!

The impulse-conducted cells that are the founding blocks of your brain makes just 10% of all the stuff that your brain is made of. The rest is glia, the glue that binds the neurons together. But far more than simply gluing the neurons, this silent majority does many other things, including getting rid of the extra neurotransmitters and promoting the growth of synapses.

Zapping your brain - should you or shouldn’t you?

tDCS has taken the world of neuroscience by storm. Scientists have started experimenting with the notion that a low electrical current passing through the skull can enhance the cognitive powers of an individual. Though the idea of zapping the brain to help individuals is not a new one (the experiments have been conducted for a couple of decades now), the notion that using tDCS for healthy individuals to enhance their working memory, heighten concentration and improve their cognitive powers is a completely new one. It has made such hype in the world of science that many scientists have taken upon themselves to prove that it works.

But scientists are not the only ones who find tDCS intriguing. Army and military forces are currently conducting many experiments in the hope that one day they’ll be able to create a ‘super soldier’.

So what does this all actually mean for you?

Well, thanks to the tDCS device, TheBrainDriver, you can now see just what it does and whether it works. TheBrainDriver is a tDCS electronic device consisting of a battery, electronics and an anode and cathode connector. The idea is that by placing the anode and cathode on different parts of your skull for 20 or 30 minutes on a regular basis, the low current passing through your head will stimulate your brain, affecting its excitability. There are different positions that the anode and cathode connectors can be placed, depending on which part of the brain you would like to stimulate. For instance, let’s say you are a gamer ready to get your focus sharpened; you would place these electrodes at the top of your head, thus stimulating your motor cortex or at the back, stimulating a visual one.  If, on the other hand, you feel too stressed and need something that will calm you down, then the electrodes should go on your forehead, stimulating the prefrontal area.

A simple jolt of electricity can help you supercharge your brain, making it that much easier, and faster, to solve a math problem, learn a new language or even sharpen your focus and concentration! Though the hard evidence is still lacking, as the studies conducted are too small to be considered for a meta-analysis, the people who have tried it, say that it works.

So, are you ready to unleash your true potential? Do try it out and let us know what it actually did for you!

We'd love to hear from you!

Have a Positive Day!
Alex Heredia
Founder
TheBrainDriver tDCS