In the Air Force, pilots face the difficult task of identifying targets in radar images and deploying unmanned drones to those targets. The pilots endure hours of training in order to be able to identify these targets in the complex images. In those training sessions, researchers have found that the pilots’ ability to accurately identify targets declines within twenty minutes. To reduce training time and combat the decline in accuracy, the Air Force has turned to transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS).

Andy McKinley and his fellow researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio have found that not only does thirty minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation cut the pilots’ training time in half, but it also assists in the endurance of their accuracy.  Similar to transcranial magnetic stimulation in which subjects receive magnetic pulses into target areas of the brain, TDCS involves mild electrical currents of two milliamperes. By administering these mild currents, pilots’ accuracy times went from a steady twenty-minute decline to an increased accuracy for forty minutes. Because TDCS increased their accuracy, the pilots’ training sessions were ultimately reduced. (Fields, 2011)

Since transcranial direct current stimulation had such a positive effect on pilots, imagine the wonders it could do for others. For instance, if TDCS became available for college students, they would feel more comfortable when faced with quizzes and exams. They would be able to learn quickly and more sufficiently. Additionally, there may be extended benefits that improve their alertness, moods, and memory.

If transcranial direct current stimulation can help accelerate pilots’ ability to learn, what else can it do? The possibilities are endless. Fortunately, studies are still being conducted on the effects of TDCS on the body and brain. Though it is an invasive, inexpensive procedure, it still has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Fields, R. Douglas. (25 November 2011). Amping up brain function: Transcranial stimulation shows promise in speeding up learning. Retrieved on 15 April 2018 from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/amping-up-brain-function/