Improve Cognitive Functions With Mental Arithmetic

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that improving one's ability to manipulate numbers in the head, which is a task that 20 percent of people have trouble with, could help improve cognitive and brain functions.
Roi Cohen Kadosh of the University of Oxford and his colleagues used a new method of stimulation, called transcranial random noise stimulation (TRNS). TRNS allows the brain to work more efficiently by making neurons fire more synchronously, thus improving cognitive functions. Researchers believe that this new line of study could really help humans reach their cognitive potential in math and beyond. It might also be of particular help to those suffering with neurodegenerative illness, stroke, or learning difficulties.
For more information go to: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(13)00486-7
SOURCE: Current Biology, May 2013