Month: October 2003

Exciting a brain region using electrical noise stimulation can help improve mathematical learning in those who struggle with the subject, according to a new study from the Universities of Surrey and Oxford, Loughborough University, and Radboud University in The Netherlands.

During this unique study, published in PLOS Biology, researchers investigated the impact of neurostimulation on learning. Despite the growing interest in this non-invasive technique, little is known about the neurophysiological changes induced and the effect it has on learning.

Researchers found that electrical noise stimulation over the frontal part of the brain improved the mathematical ability of people whose brain was less excited (by mathematics) before the application of stimulation. No improvement in mathematical scores was identified in those who had a high level of brain excitation during the initial assessment or in the placebo groups. Researchers believe that electrical noise stimulation acts on the sodium channels in the brain, interfering with the cell membrane of the neurons, which increases cortical excitability.

Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey who led this project, said, “Learning is key to everything we do in life—from developing new skills, such as driving a car, to learning how to code. Our brains are constantly absorbing and acquiring new knowledge.

“Previously, we have shown that a person’s ability to learn is associated with neuronal excitation in their brains. What we wanted to discover in this case is if our novel stimulation protocol could boost, in other words excite, this activity and improve mathematical skills.”

For the study, 102 participants were recruited, and their mathematical skills were assessed through a series of multiplication problems. Participants were then split into four groups including a learning group exposed to high-frequency random electrical noise stimulation and an overlearning group in which participants practiced the multiplication beyond the point of mastery with high-frequency random electrical noise stimulation.

The remaining two groups consisted of a learning and overlearning group but they were exposed to a sham (i.e., placebo) condition, an experience akin to real stimulation without applying significant electrical currents. EEG recordings were taken at the beginning and at the end of the stimulation to measure brain activity.

Dr. Nienke van Bueren, from Radboud University, who led this work under Professor Cohen Kadosh’s supervision, said, “These findings highlight that individuals with lower brain excitability may be more receptive to noise stimulation, leading to enhanced learning outcomes, while those with high brain excitability might not experience the same benefits in their mathematical abilities.”

Professor Cohen Kadosh adds, “What we have found is how this promising neurostimulation works and under which conditions the stimulation protocol is most effective. This discovery could not only pave the way for a more tailored approach in a person’s learning journey but also shed light on the optimal timing and duration of its application.”

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Credit of the article given to University of Surrey

Grand Slam tennis players in the US, Wimbledon and Australian Opens could improve their chances of winning sets, matches and even tournaments through more aggressive and strategic use of challenges, Swinburne research has found.

Analysis of the ‘nested’ scoring system used in tennis by esteemed Swinburne sports statistician, Professor Stephen Clarke and Sheffield University’s John Norman, found that players don’t have to increase their chances of winning a point very much, to significantly increase their chances of winning a match.

The two to four player challenges allowed on show courts in three of the Grand Slam tournaments are much more important than previously realised, and should be deployed later in games, later in sets and when players are behind, the new statistical modelling has shown.

“Optimal use of the three challenges available (in the Australian Open) can increase a player’s chance of winning a set to 55 per cent in an otherwise even contest,’’ Professor Clarke writes in a paper accepted for publication in the Journal of the Operational Research Society.

“This increases their chance of winning a best of three-set match to 58 per cent, and a best of five-set match to 59 per cent, which is nearly 60:40. That’s a lot of difference,” he said.

The ‘moneyball’-like analysis of the increased strategic advantage of a challenge acted much like compound interest, he said.

“If your chance of winning a match is 60 per cent, the chance of winning seven matches in a row to win the tournament is probably double what you had before, so it could have quite a drastic effect over the life of the tournament.

“There should be more aggressive challenging in more important points which tend to occur later in games, later in sets and when the player is behind rather than when ahead.”

To date, analysis of challenges from both Wimbledon and the Australian Open shows players are sparing in their deployment of challenges, and are successful only about 30 per cent of the time. It was unlikely players, coaches or commentators realised the strategic importance of challenges, he said.

Professor Clarke – himself a keen tennis, Australian Rules Football and cricket fan – said the Australian Open tennis crowd enjoyed the process of the challenge – which is replayed and dramatised using proprietary technology, as it added much to the tension and enjoyment of the tournament.

Similar challenge rules are expected to be introduced in other sports, prompting academics to consider the growing use of technology and how it will increasingly enable players to challenge umpires’ decisions.

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Credit of the article given to Swinburne University of Technology