How To: Ace Your Test

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A team of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons have finally found a way to improve learning! Now the chance of getting an A on that dreaded (insert hated subject) test doesn't seem so remote anymore :)

Researchers have long suspected, based on animal models, that the area of the brain known as substantia nigra (which contains dopamine* releasing neurons) has an important role in reward learning. Hence the team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania devised an experiment to test this on humans. The 11 participants were undergoing deep brain stimulation treatments for Parkinson's Disease and one part of the treatments done when they were awake was for them to choose between pairs of objects that had different reward rates (while simulating casino conditions!). Since they were not told which were the right answers, participants had to learn which objects to choose to attain higher rewards.

As they were doing this, their substantia nigra were electrically stimulated whenever they chose a correct answer, causing the neurons to release dopamine, making them feel how they would when receiving an actual reward -- happy. This made them inclined to choose the right answers and were thus learning how to excel at the game.

What makes this experiment interesting is that the effect of this electrical stimulation was seen even after the answers were swopped. As a result, participants who underwent the stimulation continued to choose the 'right' answers, as compared to those who did not undergo such stimulation and adapted to choose the actual, correct answers. This made the participants in the former group hit a 48% accuracy rate while those in the latter were 67% accurate. This could mean that they would still choose the same answers even when the electrical stimulation was no longer administered.

This could mean new treatments for rehabilitation after injuries or addictive behavior by rewarding appropriate actions and behaviors. However, for those still in school or college, I am sure you would be more interested in how this could help your grades. For one, applying an electrical current to your substantia nigra whenever you correctly applied a mathematical formula, scientific theory or used a new word, could also help you remember them easily. Also, you can also do this while studying so that somehow, you have altered your brain to love studying.

Tempting as it may seem, I'm sure the world would be more interested in more practical and useful applications of this research. Do you have any ideas on how this can be applied in other areas? Comment down below and if you liked this article, do not hesitate to share it!

Thanks for reading!

*Dopamine is also known as the 'molecule of addiction' as it is commonly produced when one is feeling happy and is associated to reward.

Reference:

Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (2014, May 13) Human Learning Altered by Electrical Stimulation of Dopamine Neurons. Penn Medicine: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2014/05/kahana/