Latest news with #cognition
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Extreme heat affects the brain — here's how to protect your cognitive health
Summer heat has swept the U.S., with warnings issued across the East Coast and Midwest. In addition to putting stress on the body, hot weather can also take a toll on the brain and mental health. Dr. Jace Reed, director of emergency psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, emphasized in an interview with Fox News Digital that the brain is a major organ that can be greatly affected by heat. Extreme heat can cause mental health changes like increased irritability and anxiety, along with decreased memory, attention and reaction time. This can affect daily interactions socially and professionally, the expert cautioned. "You may be slower at completing your task or remembering what someone just told you," he told Fox News Digital. "Those can be initial early signs that the heat is affecting your brain and your mental abilities." Symptoms like extreme confusion could mark the beginning of a heat stroke, which could require hospitalization, the psychiatrist warned. In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Thea Gallagher, a doctor of psychology and director of wellness programs at NYU Langone Health, noted that when the body overheats, it struggles to regulate internal balance. This can lead to disrupted sleep, fatigue and poor concentration, as well as impaired cognitive function, slow reaction times and struggles with decision-making. The heat can also increase oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, Gallagher added, which can potentially damage neurons, worsen existing neurological conditions and raise stroke risk. "Heat exposure may trigger an inflammatory response in the brain," she said. "In cases like heatstroke, inflammation is believed to contribute to symptoms such as confusion and delirium." Excessive heat can also weaken the protective blood-brain barrier, according to the expert, which makes the brain more vulnerable to toxins and pathogens. Higher temperatures are also associated with disturbances in mood and violent behavior, especially during prolonged heatwaves. Psychiatric emergency visits for anxiety, depression and substance use also rise significantly on the hottest days, Gallagher confirmed. Below are some of the main mental symptoms that can worsen in hot weather, experts cautioned. People who suffer from mental health conditions such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety or even dementia are more vulnerable in hot weather. Some psychiatric medications could make it difficult for the body to regulate temperature or stay hydrated, Gallagher noted, while heat can "intensify" symptoms like agitation or paranoia. "People with cognitive impairments may not recognize the signs of overheating," she added. "Some SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can suppress sweat production, which is the body's primary cooling mechanism. This raises the risk of overheating, dehydration and even heat stroke." "Paradoxically, SSRIs can also cause excessive sweating in some individuals — a side effect known as 'SSRI sweats,'" she went on. "While this might seem like it would help with cooling, it can actually lead to dehydration if fluid intake doesn't keep up." The experts recommended the following practices to protect brain health in extreme heat. For more Health articles, visit "Days are also longer and there are more activities, which can be exhausting," Gallagher noted. "Therefore, it is good to prioritize sleep and rest … and [find] ways to slow down when you can."
Medscape
3 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Eureka! Increasing the Odds of a Sudden Insight
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Welcome to Impact Factor , your weekly dose of commentary on a new medical study. I'm Dr F. Perry Wilson from the Yale School of Medicine. At a time when the capabilities of artificial intelligences seem to be growing by leaps and bounds at an incredible pace, it's comforting to remember that there are certain cognitive processes that continue to feel distinctly human. I want to talk about one of those processes today. It's the idea of 'eureka': a sudden flash of insight, where the solution to a puzzle or a problem or a mystery just sort of clicks. When we think about these moments, several features come to mind. First is the suddenness. It's not that you slowly improve at solving a problem, you slowly improve and slowly improve and then — all of a sudden — you dramatically improve. Then there's the timing of the insight; it's variable. Given the same puzzle, some people 'get it' quickly, and some take longer. And, of course, some people never get it at all. This process seems so singular, so qualitative, that it may appear to be impossible to study. But a study of sudden insight is exactly what we're going to be exploring today. Let's see if it clicks. Abandoning stories of Greek philosophers and kings' crowns, researchers, led by Anika Löwe, refer to these sudden flashes of insight as 'aha moments.' To me, an 'aha moment' is sitting in my girlfriend's basement watching the 'Take on Me' music video, but there's never a forever thing. Here, we're talking about those sudden flashes of insight, and, in particular, whether a bit of sleep improves the chances of having them. The paper appears in PLOS Biology. How do you test aha moments in the laboratory? The system is really clever. Participants (90 in this study) were exposed to a very simple computer game during which dots move around a circle in different directions, but one of four directions (northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast) is more common than the others. The participants are asked to press one of two buttons when they see the set of moving dots and are then given feedback on whether they are right or wrong. There is a hidden rule here — for example, to be correct they need to hit the left button when the majority of dots are moving northwest or southeast, but the right button when the dots are moving northeast or southwest. They have to figure this out through trial and error. It's not that easy, especially since there is a lot of noise in the direction of travel of the dots. But, as you might expect, task performance improves over time — people figure out the rule underlying the correct answers and do better and better over hundreds of iterated trials. As looking at the moving dots, you notice that they change color as well, from orange to purple at random. For the first 80% of trials or so, these color changes are random; they have nothing to do with the correct answer. But here's the trick: Toward the end of the series of trials, the colors start to match up with the correct directions. In other words, all of a sudden, orange dots would indicate that the participant should press the left button, purple dots the right button. But the participants have to realize this is happening; no one tells them in advance. That requires a sudden flash of insight — an 'aha' moment. But once a participant has that moment, their performance skyrockets. It's way easier to match a color to a button than two of four noisy directional trends to a button. I find this super clever. Major props to whatever neuroscientist had the flash of insight to design this system. Now we have a framework for measuring aha moments. The next step is to perturb the system. The researchers wanted to determine whether sleep (and which stage of sleep) would improve the aha phenomenon. After an initial round of testing, where the 'color rule' appeared only at the very end, the participants went into a quiet room to nap. An EEG was used to determine whether they merely rested or they had reached stage 1 or stage 2 of sleep. Stage 1 sleep is pretty light — almost conscious. Stage 2 is slightly deeper but not to the level of deep sleep. Only one participant reached stage 3 during the short nap. Some people figured out the secret rule before naptime; they were excluded from further study. So now we have a group of people who had not yet had an aha moment. Would the achieved sleep stage matter when they were tested again? It did. Pretty profoundly, too. About 50% of the group who did not sleep at all during the rest had the color insight during the second round of testing. About 60% of those who hit stage 1 sleep had the aha moment, but 80% of people who reached stage 2 sleep had that insight — a statistically significant improvement. Interestingly, sleep only seemed to affect the proportion of people who had the insight. It didn't affect the time to the insight. And napping had no effect on task performance prior to the insight. Rather, it seemed that napping just allowed the magic to happen. But how does the magic happen? The researchers interrogated the EEGs to see whether something deeper was going on besides stage 2 sleep. They found that aperiodic activity in the brain captured all the information that sleep stage did. In fact, it correlated more strongly with insight than sleep stage itself. So…what is aperiodic activity, and what is happening when aperiodic activity in your brain is higher? Aperiodic activity is electrical signals in the brain that don't have a nice repeating pattern. They seem more random and have been described as the 'background noise' of the brain. But what is interesting is what is happening to neural connections as aperiodic activity is increasing. They get weaker. This sounds bad, but weakening connections between neurons is actually a critical thing. It allows connections that are already weak and of poor quality to break entirely, allowing the stronger connections more exclusivity. Those of you in the machine learning space will recognize the similarity to regularization methods. But basically what is happening is that the 'noise' of the complex brain is being turned down, so the signal can come through that much louder. And maybe that is what allows the insight to happen. Perhaps a brain with a bit less noise and a bit less clutter can more clearly see the underlying structure being presented to it and make those cognitive leaps that (for now) separate humans from the neural networks we create in silico. Of course, looking at this study I'm sure you're thinking the same thing I am: How can I leverage this knowledge to increase my likelihood of having eureka moments? Well, better sleep seems like the obvious answer here, but I think we all knew that already. Maybe we can take a lesson from this idea of signal and noise. If the key to aha moments is allowing the stronger connections in our brain to function more cleanly, without the distraction of those weaker connections, maybe that means we need to avoid those weaker connections if possible — those distractions. Does scrolling TikTok reduce your chance of having sudden insights? Does meditating in a quiet room increase them? I'm not sure, but at least now we have a mechanism to study those questions. In closing, let me express my wish that you have many aha moments, and that they won't be gone in a day or two.
Geeky Gadgets
3 days ago
- Science
- Geeky Gadgets
Humans vs AI : The Surprising Truth About How We Think Differently
What truly separates the way you think from how an AI like a large language model operates? Imagine trying to teach a child to recognize a dog. With just a few examples, they'd quickly grasp the concept, connecting it to their sensory experiences and even emotions. Now compare that to an AI, which would need to analyze thousands—if not millions—of images to achieve a similar result, and even then, it wouldn't 'understand' what a dog is in the way you do. This stark human vs AI thinking difference highlights a deeper truth: while humans and AI can produce similar outputs, the paths they take to get there are worlds apart. Understanding these differences isn't just a matter of curiosity—it's essential for navigating a future where AI plays an increasingly central role in our lives. In this exploration, the IBM Technology team delve into the fascinating contrasts between human cognition and the mechanics of large language models (LLMs). From how we learn and process information to the way we reason and handle errors, the distinctions are both striking and revealing. You'll discover why your brain's dynamic adaptability gives you an edge in creativity and context, while an LLM's raw computational power allows it to process vast amounts of data at lightning speed. By the end, you'll not only grasp how these systems differ but also gain insights into how their unique strengths can complement each other in fantastic ways. After all, understanding these contrasts isn't just about comparing—it's about imagining what's possible when human ingenuity and AI precision work hand in hand. Human vs AI Cognition Learning: Neuroplasticity vs Backpropagation Human learning is driven by neuroplasticity, where your brain adapts and reorganizes its neural connections with relatively minimal exposure to new concepts. This adaptability enables you to generalize knowledge and apply it flexibly across various situations. For example, you can learn a new skill, such as playing a musical instrument, and transfer that understanding to related tasks, like composing music. In contrast, LLMs rely on backpropagation, a computational process that adjusts millions or even billions of parameters to minimize errors during training. This process requires vast datasets and significant computational resources. Unlike your ability to learn incrementally, LLMs cannot adapt to new information without undergoing a complete retraining process. Once trained, their parameters are fixed, limiting their ability to dynamically incorporate new knowledge. Processing: Parallel vs Sequential Your brain processes information in parallel, integrating sensory inputs, emotions, and abstract concepts simultaneously. This parallel processing allows you to quickly grasp the broader context of a situation and make informed decisions. For instance, when navigating a busy street, you simultaneously process visual cues, sounds, and spatial awareness to ensure your safety. LLMs, however, process information sequentially. They break down text into discrete units called tokens and predict the next token based on patterns learned during training. While this sequential approach enables LLMs to generate coherent and contextually appropriate text, it lacks the holistic understanding that your brain naturally applies. This limitation means LLMs excel at tasks requiring linear progression but struggle with tasks demanding multidimensional context. Human vs AI Thinking Styles Compared Watch this video on YouTube. Advance your skills in AI intelligence by reading more of our detailed content. Memory: Context-Driven vs Static Human memory operates dynamically across multiple levels—sensory, working, and long-term. This dynamic system allows you to associate new information with past experiences, recall relevant details, and adapt your understanding as new contexts arise. For example, you might remember a childhood lesson about fire safety and apply it instinctively when faced with a dangerous situation. LLMs, by comparison, have a limited 'context window,' which restricts the amount of information they can actively process at any given moment. Beyond this window, they rely on static knowledge encoded during training. Unlike your memory, which evolves with experience and adapts to new information, LLMs cannot update their knowledge without retraining the entire model. This static nature limits their ability to respond to rapidly changing or nuanced contexts. Reasoning: Intuition and Logic vs Statistical Prediction When reasoning, you engage two complementary systems: intuitive (System 1) and analytical (System 2) thinking. System 1 enables you to make quick, instinctive decisions, such as recognizing a familiar face in a crowd. System 2, on the other hand, allows for deliberate, logical problem-solving, such as solving a complex mathematical equation. Together, these systems help you navigate complex situations with both speed and depth. LLMs simulate reasoning by generating statistically plausible sequences of text based on their training data. However, they lack genuine understanding or the ability to engage in conscious thought. While their outputs may appear logical, they are ultimately the result of pattern recognition rather than true reasoning. This distinction underscores the importance of human oversight when interpreting or applying AI-generated outputs. Error: Confabulation vs Hallucination Humans occasionally confabulate, unknowingly creating false memories or explanations to fill gaps in understanding. This is a natural byproduct of your brain's effort to make sense of incomplete information. For example, you might misremember the details of an event but still retain the general context. Similarly, LLMs 'hallucinate,' producing confident but factually incorrect outputs when their training data lacks sufficient context or accuracy. Unlike humans, LLMs cannot self-correct or verify their outputs. Your ability to reflect and reason often allows you to identify and rectify errors more effectively than an LLM. This difference highlights the need for careful validation of AI-generated information. Embodiment: Sensory Experiences vs Disembodiment Your cognition is deeply influenced by your physical interactions with the world. Sensory experiences—sight, touch, sound, and more—shape your understanding and allow you to learn through direct exploration. For instance, you might learn the concept of 'hot' by touching a warm surface and associating the sensation with the word. LLMs, on the other hand, are disembodied systems. They rely exclusively on textual data and lack sensory inputs. Without physical experiences, LLMs cannot ground their 'understanding' in reality. This disembodiment limits their ability to perceive the world as you do, making them highly effective at processing text but unable to fully replicate human experiential learning. Using Human and AI Strengths While both humans and LLMs can produce similar outputs, the processes driving those outputs are fundamentally different. Human cognition is rooted in comprehension, context, and sensory experiences, while LLMs excel in speed and pattern recognition across vast datasets. By understanding these differences, you can better use the strengths of both systems. Combining human insight with AI efficiency offers opportunities to achieve outcomes that neither could accomplish alone. This synergy has the potential to transform fields such as education, healthcare, and scientific research, where the unique capabilities of humans and AI can complement one another to solve complex challenges. Media Credit: IBM Technology Filed Under: AI, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Why do we let some people take advantage of us?
She came, she saw, she conquered. Then she left. Like a heartless thief in the dead of night. Was it a dream? Or a fantasy? Or some sensual avarice? Or a deadly mix of all of the above? I'm not sure. When emotions rush at you like an avalanche, that's not the time to stay put and dare. You just choose your truth over facts and let yourself be carried away like an uprooted tree. That's exactly what I did. I trust my heart more than my mind. It's not like she made her presence felt physically, but she was everywhere. She reached every nook and corner of my house — and cognition — and being a designer, she commented on all the things she loved and loved not. All this she did through photos and videos. 'My kinda man. Homeproud,' she said, heaving a heavy sigh. I thanked her but didn't bother much about the gravitas of her conspicuously cavernous sigh. I was like a novice traveller who had just hopped onto a Parisian tourister that gently stopped for me. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride unaware that it all would come to a halt one day. Unaware that the Louvre could not be my permanent residence and I would have to be home by sunset. Life's like that. You actually aren't unaware. For some unknown reasons, we let hypocrisy play it out on its own. We deliberately slam the door on the realm of logic and throw the doors wide open for some sinless turpitude. We let someone else's harmless follies, foibles, and fallacies take us for a ride on uncharted waters and finally let ourselves drown in a maelstrom of emotions. Not because we are masochists. We just love the innocence and effervescence behind the person's candour and crankiness. We enjoy the guest actor's jokes and melodramas, and refuse to pull the curtain down even when we realise that the play is over and the artist has left. And then we walk back from the theatre of the absurd in the wintry cold, our hearts shrivelling like prunes. Still, I let her tower over my small life longer than we both expected. My drawback was that I had just one drawer in my heart to keep all my emotions. Even if I had different ones for dreams, fantasies, hallucinations, or desires, in her case, it would have been difficult to tell one from another. She looked like everything. So, I smiled at her little lies and ignorance, and admired her thirst to learn. She wanted to travel and was in love with the Nandi Hills in India. 'Wow! Your house overlooks Nandi Hills?' She could not believe it when she called to let me know she was happily chasing the winds and clouds on her north Bangalore purlieu. She talked about how she fancied both of us making it to the Hills and beyond on a bike. When she called again a few months later, I was home in Bengaluru, enjoying the Hills' view from my living room. 'Oh, you are here. Let's catch up.' She said she would come for dinner, and I went a bit crazy. Deep cleaners had left my house topsy turvy in my absence and I laboured for hours on end to bring order to the house and prove that I was 'her kinda man'. That I was 'homeproud'. I cooked; bought fruits, peeled and cut them; laid the china on a new runner bought from Temu; brought out the glasses and Riesling; and filled little bowls with cashews, hazelnuts, and pistachios. But she never turned up. As my wait stretched well into the wee hours, the little tears shed by the candles formed a lake of agony. She neither called nor did she answer my calls. I was like Alfred Hitchcock's Miss Lonelyhearts in Rear Window, played by Judith Evelyn. Hopelessly romantic but all alone, I dressed up like Miss Loneyhearts in the following evenings, laid out a candlelit dinner, poured wine, and welcomed and chatted with an invisible guest — and then went to bed hungry. She finally called on my last evening in Bengaluru. My frustration melted away. 'Where were you?' 'Chasing the clouds elsewhere. But don't worry, I will be there before you drop ice cubes into your fourth drink,' she said, quoting Mohanlal in Aaraam Thampuran. 'Say sorry, at least.' 'I'm never sorry for what I do.' But she never came, though I dropped ice cubes into many more drinks. She called the next day when I was checking in at the airport. 'Where are you?' I swallowed my anger. 'Riding pillion to the Northeast to chase the clouds,' she said, voice cracking because of the gusts of wind. 'Hold tight,' I said. 'Here's wishing you a sky full of cotton clouds.' 'Mark my word, I'll be back. Buy our bike before that.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams are both fans of neuromodulation – but what is it and how does it work?
For most, the idea that you might don a headset to zap your depression away or use electromagnetic pulses to sharpen your cognition seems better placed in a science fiction novel from the 1930s than modern neuroscience, but these kinds of treatments are more common than you might think. In fact, you can now buy 'vagus reset' gadgets to practice what's broadly referred to as 'neurostimulation' or 'neuromodulation' at home – Instagram and Tiktok are awash with ads for them. And for more intense forms of this kind of technology, a quick online search will deliver a range of private clinics offering 'repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation' to treat depression and anxiety. Tennis legend Serena Williams and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who've checked into a private facility to undergo a treatment like this. The athlete recently shared a sponsored Instagram post about her 'ExoMind' journey, describing the treatment as a form of self care. Wellness magnate Paltrow posted a similar story on her Instagram, showing a glowing device attached to her head while she lay on a table. The company responsible for ExoMind describes the treatment as 'a workout for your mind. An FDA-cleared for the treatment of depression'. The company also offers treatments that use electric pulses to tone and strengthen muscles all over the body – from the stomach to the pelvic floor. But naturally, both Williams' and Paltrow's Instagram posts have prompted some confusion about possible uses for neuromodulation, delivery methods and who should be using technology like this. Do we need to be nudging our brains with electrical stimuli for improved 'mental fitness'? Or should we just stick with mindfulness apps and fish oil supplements for better brain health? Furthermore, is stimulating the brain actually a serious cure for depression? Do you need to visit a clinic or will an at-home headset deliver the same results? And most importantly, is this all safe? What is neurostimulation? Neurostimulation is the act of stimulating the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves to modulate neuronal activity. There are a variety of ways to do this and types of neurostimulation vary. For example, a headset that you can buy online without a prescription that promises to 'reset your vagus nerve' is not the same as an in-clinic transcranial stimulation session delivered by a qualified practitioner. The Flow headset, for example, sends the equivalent current of an AA battery directly to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, 'targeting depression at its source to help relieve symptoms'. Rival company Neurosym claims that its device emits precise electrical pulses for 'safe stimulation of vagus nerve fibres'. The company isn't clear on how this approach differs from Flow's, but it does claim that the device activates the parasympathetic nervous system to 'effectively manage chronic pain, fibromyalgia, gut problems, long-covid symptoms, inflammation, POTS symptoms, fatigue, sleep issues, HRV issues, ADHD symptoms, stress, anxious and depressive thoughts and more'. Quite the list of claims. Pulsetto, another headset that you can use at home, also describes itself as a 'vagus stimulator'. Pulsetto technology uses the lowest form of bluetooth energy – ultra low radiofrequency energy (ULRE) – which according to the brand, 'passes safely into the body to biohack your parasympathetic nervous system'. 'These headsets have great branding but in reality you don't know the exact effects that treatment is going to have on you,' says Adam O'Hagan, specialist rTMS practitioner and coordinator at Priory Wellbeing Centre Harley Street. 'The do-it-yourself kits have shown to be effective but not as much as in controlled settings. Some headsets use rTMS in low levels but they're very different to what we do. They can be more cost effective but use different technologies and these can be significantly less effective.' The kind of treatment offered at Priory differs vastly from headsets like Flow and Neurosym – technologies that you can easily buy online albeit for a high price point. Technically, all treatments fall under the umbrella of neurostimulation, but there are significant differences when it comes to the technology and frequencies used, and the applications and results. The idea with both in-clinic treatments and do-it-yourself headsets is to nudge the areas of the brain that are responsible for emotional regulation, cognitive function and self-control. These areas can often become under-active and this lack of activity is associated with low mood, anxiety, depression and behavioural disorders. Neurostimulation devices generate magnetic pulses to induce electrical currents in the brain, stimulating under-active brain regions. 'An in-clinic session can last about 30 minutes and is typically recommended for treatment-resistant depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, significant eating disorders and anxiety symptoms. The intensity of the machine used is much higher and the treatment is administered by a trained professional,' explains O'Hagan. 'During an rTMS session, electromagnetic coils are placed on your scalp in order to deliver magnetic pulses to your brain. The treatment specifically targets areas of the brain that are involved in mood control, which means it can help to alleviate the symptoms of your mental health conditions and improve wellbeing.' 'The side effects are extremely minimal compared to other treatments such as medication, so it's a much safer and less invasive solution. Some patients can see results after five sessions or around the halfway mark in the treatment plan,' he adds. It's worth noting that rTMS is very different to electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, which sends a seizure-inducing current through the brain. Doctors have used ECT for almost a century, and though it's still used in some cases, it remains a controversial and rudimentary treatment. Mental fitness and biohacking the vagus nerve At the other end of the neurostimulation spectrum are home devices – headsets that deliver a mild electrical current to the brain and that can be worn daily on the head or neck. These devices offer 'improved mental fitness' – a catch-all term that seems to comprise several indicators of good health such as boosted mood, lower anxiety levels, improved memory and cognition, and better focus. The biohacking and longevity crowd are especially keen on the idea of fitness for your mind – Bryan Johnson wears a Pulsetto headset in his Netflix documentary Don't Die. However, Dr Faye Begeti, practising neurology doctor at Oxford University Hospitals and author of The Phone Fix, explains that the term mental fitness is actually quite vague if we're discussing the true benefits of these devices. 'The term 'mental fitness' allows companies to market these devices without clear scientific backing,' she says. 'While some biohackers report subjective benefits, scientific evidence supporting any substantial long term improvement from these devices is weak. 'Established good brain habits such as adequate sleep, regular exercise, learning new skills to build cognitive reserve, and stress management have stronger evidence for improving brain function over time. Expecting dramatic improvements in memory, focus, or productivity from neurostimulation devices is likely unrealistic.' But as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression continue to affect large swathes of the UK population, people are looking for alternative sources of support – particularly within biohacking and functional medicine. So despite scant evidence that at-home devices can help – and their hefty price tags – neurostimulation headsets have become incredibly popular. This might have something to do with the fact that social media is currently flooded with instructional videos on 'how to reset your vagus nerve'. These techniques range from simple massage and acupressure to recommendations for headsets like the Neurosym or Pulsetto. 'The vagus nerve 'reset' trend is a mix of science and misinformation,' explains Dr Begeti. The vagus nerve plays a key role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps regulate stress, digestion and heart rate. Activities like spending time in nature, meditation, and breathing exercises can stimulate vagal tone, which may have calming effects – but calling it a 'reset' or a ' detox ' is misleading. The nervous system is not something that needs 'resetting' in the way social media often suggests.' 'The issue is that social media often oversimplifies complex neuroscience, making it seem like a single technique is a quick hack for mental health. Instead, it's important to have multiple tools in your toolkit for managing difficult emotions while also seeking professional advice when needed,' she adds. The verdict As Dr Begeti says, there's no one trick to eliminate mental health issues. A healthy diet of gut-friendly foods, regular exercise, quality sleep and other techniques like breathwork, yoga and time in nature can all have a positive impact on the brain and nervous system when combined. In isolation, a neurostimulation device won't make much difference if you're not taking good care of yourself. However, the most recent studies on the effects of clinical rTMS are promising. 'We are witnessing a growing mental health crisis,' explains O'Hagan. 'Depression is treatable, but for some people, medication and psychotherapy do not provide relief. In such cases, rTMS is a really incredible new tool.' The important thing is not to downplay the intensity of a treatment like this. Though it's akin to tickling your brain, one should be aware of the risks. Various studies have shown that neurostimulation can help improve mood, but a small number of patients have experienced long term effects like tinnitus, cognitive impairment, behavioural changes and short term memory loss. These outcomes are far less likely with an at-home treatment as the power generated by a wearable isn't comparable to an in-clinic rTMS treatment. However, there are still risks associated with using one. You are, after all, giving your brain a buzz, regardless of the dose. 'The biggest concern is that many brands do not disclose the exact stimulation parameters, making it difficult to know what effect the device is actually having. Additionally, improper use – such as applying stimulation to the wrong area of the brain – could lead to unintended effects,' says Dr Begeti. She advises researching the frequency and intensity used in detail and checking if the device has been tested in peer-reviewed studies, rather than relying on general research. She also recommends checking for FDA approval or CE certification for specific medical conditions, as opposed to general wellness claims, and reading the instructions thoroughly. 'For low mood, anxiety and issues with feeling dysregulated, a headset could help,' says O'Hagan. However, the best course of action is to use a wearable in conjunction with other healthy habits. These devices are definitely not a magic bullet and O'Hagan recommends using them alongside other interventions like talking therapy and daily self care routines. 'Typically I wouldn't recommend them for people with clinical depression,' he says. But this is where a treatment like clinical rTMS might make a difference, particularly if you've tried other treatments and found them inconsistent or unhelpful. Our collective understanding of mental health issues is progressing as we find new ways to support and foster good mental health and to treat chronic life-altering problems. Hacking the brain with electromagnetic pulses is clearly just the beginning. But if you're keen to become a brain biohacker yourself, be sure to cast a critical eye over claims you see online, consult with experts and always do your research before trying a new treatment.
