My pre-treatment scores

In my previous post, I described a method for establishing a a pseudo-control data set to be compared with post tDCS treatments. Over the past couple of days, I've carried out repeated each test two or three times in order to generate such data for myself. My results are posted below.

Test	Iterations	Scores
Monkey Ladder	4	6, 7, 6, 8
Spatial Span	2	6, 6
Digit Span	2	7, 8
Paired Associates	2	4, 5
Double Trouble*	2	56, 58
Object Reasoning	2	21, 24
Odd One Out	3	11, 13, 13
Rotations	3	48, 42, 79
Spatial Search	3	7, 8, 9

*Double Trouble - This was a test I had started to play with months ago when I first started experimenting with tDCS. I have roughly a dozen data points, which show a somewhat linear progression from a score of roughly 30 to a high of 60. The reported scores above represent only my latest attempts, and it's been months since my high score of 60 - this suggests that either tDCS effects are much longer lasting than the the research suggests, or the ability to perform in the 99% in this task has been retained from practice (I'm assuming the latter is true). As such, post-treatment data must be examined with additional caution. 

Cambridge Brain Sciences - creating a (pseudo) control.

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm going to attempt to systematically document my experimentation with tDCS. Because I'm only an individual, that is, without a lab, test subjects, funding for experimentation, I don't   have the ability to create a control group to compare results to. To work around this, I can only run tests on myself, before tDCS sessions and after (making the note any "pre" testing sessions need to have happened long enough the last session such that any effect had long since worn off).

Enter Cambridge Brain Sciences, a site which offers, "scientifically proven tools for the assessment of cognitive function over the web." Running the various tests several times ought to establish rough control. While there will be some impact on latter tests due to a bias from practice, familiarity, results should become somewhat consistent. Perhaps someone with a better handle on statistics knows a more straight forward method than this, but if tDCS sessions are indeed making a measurable impact, such should be observable by comparing control results with post-session tests.

OpenStim - hardware assembled.

I'm excited to explore the possibilities that OpenStim may bring about. I'll share my thoughts once I spend some time with it. For now, the hardware is put together and passing diagnostics.

Welcome to my tDCS Blog

After posting about some of my experimentation with transcranial direct current stimulation elsewhere, I decided that I'd dedicate dedicate a blog centralizing on the subject.

It's now been six or eight weeks since I've had a tDCS session, so I assume that any measurable impact the treatment would have on my brain have  long since worn off. This seems like a perfect time to start again from square one, documenting my findings as I go. While I'm not an medical professional, let alone a neuroscientist, I will make efforts to report my findings in the least subjective way possible.