IEEE Future Directions
Related Articles
Providing more resilience to the thinking activity (including more focus)
Thinking activity, as any other brain process, is the result of the activation/deactivation of millions, billions neurones and synapses. In turns, these activation/deactivation is influenced by several chemical substances floating in the brain.
Improving thinking activity therefore can be pursued by tinkering with neurones and neuronal circuits and /or by tampering with the chemicals in the brain. This latter is what nootropic substances do, the former is achieved by influencing the neuronal activity i.e. neuromodulation.
The availability of ever more sophisticated electrodes has progressed the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and the report published by the Think Tank on DBS in January 2018 is quite interesting in its pointing out the growing application areas of DBS.
The electrodes are becoming thinner and can be inserted with decreased risk of damaging the brain. Additionally, each single electrode can host several points of electrical emission and these can be directed in specific direction. The big issue remains the capability to affect specific neuronal circuits, taking into account that:
- our knowledge on which neuronal circuit is involved in a specific function is still quite limited in general and very much so when dealing with thinking functions
- the position of the right neuronal circuit (assuming we can know which is the one we want) changes from person to person and it even change in the same person as the brain evolve
- the existence of several neuronal circuits involved in the thinking function and the likely impossibility to address in an appropriate way each of them
So far, also for its invasive nature, DBS is being considered for curing some disorders (see the table in the figure) and not for improving the thinking capability of an healthy person.
A new approach, based on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is now being considered, with focus on relieving depression symptoms. Using a coil placed on the head (no invasive procedure needed) magnetic pulses are focussed on specific areas in the brain. Some studies indicates that the TMS can indeed relieve some depression syndromes, although it is not clear what is the actual mechanism involved. We are aware of areas in the brain controlling the “mood” and it is possible to direct the pulses (through resonance principles) exactly on those areas.
Being a non invasive technology we can expect further studies on healthy people that might result in the improvement of thinking functions. In a way, TMS seems to be similar in its way of working to nootropic drugs, in that is affect in a systemic way a large part of the brain rather than a single neuronal circuit.
Nootropic drugs have been know, empirically, for quite a while: “You look drowsy, why don’t you take a cup of coffee?” Indeed, caffeine has been known to stimulate thinking by sharpening attention (keeping you awake). Similarly L-theanine (you find it in a cup of tea) can make you feel calm and it may increase creativity.
Several natural substances that can be found in plants like Rhodiola Rosea, Bacopa Monnieri, Panax Ginseng have the capability to influence the general activity of the brain, sharpening thoughts and making it more resilient to fatigue.
Increasing thinking processes “resilience” is also about decreasing brain fatigue. We all experience this kind of fatigue (known as mental fatigue or brain fog) that leads to decreased focus. There are specific conditions (pathologies) that are characterised by mental fatigue, like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), that lead to cognitive impairment. Recent studies have pinpointed the cause (like inflammation) but this is not leading to finding ways to avoid mental fatigue by increasing the brain resistance to it. In this area again most research focuses on understanding the root cause of “anomalies” and fixing them, rather than increasing the “performances” of an healthy brain.
It can be expected that in the coming decade, as more understanding on the brain thinking processes will become available, we will control a toolkit of substances for effective neuromodulation and that may also overcome or at least delay brain/mental fatigue.
This on the one end will increase the thinking capabilities and on the other hand will rise some ethical issues as doping substances.
