Phong Yen Wen (Nicole)

• MBBS (NUMed Malaysia)
• Effect of electrical stimulation on brain activity and reaction time in young and older adults

Our ability to process information from our surroundings and react quickly towards it declines with age. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a method of delivering very weak electricity to the brain which has been reported to improve alertness. However, its effect on brain activity is unknown.

This research aims to determine the changes in brain activity after tDCS, which is non-invasive and involves placing rubber electrodes on top of the head and forehead. A group of healthy young and older adults participated in the experiment and were randomly allocated to receive active or sham (non-active) stimulation. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) device records their brain activity as they carry out the simple and choice reaction test.

Results show that reaction time declined less in older adults and there is increased brain activity in certain areas after receiving active tDCS, suggesting that tDCS may be an effective method of improving alertness.

Funding source: Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre

Project supervisor: Dr Annette Pantall