In what definitely wasn’t on our list of expectations for this year, researchers used a method called transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) may help the brain learn math faster. This method, which is essentially a controlled zap to the brain, seems to work especially for people who usually struggle with math.
Roi Cohen Kadosh and his team at the University of Oxford recruited 72 students for a bold experiment. They asked participants to wear a cap fitted with electrodes and then sent mild, painless electrical currents over specific brain areas tied to learning. Some participants only got a placebo as a control. Then, over five days, everyone completed math challenges involving both calculation (figuring things out) and memorization (repeating learned answers).
Before any zapping began, the researchers scanned the students’ brains. They were particularly interested in the connection between two areas: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (for learning new stuff) and the posterior parietal cortex (for recalling it). Stronger links between these two regions meant better baseline math skills.
Students with weaker brain connections who received stimulation over their prefrontal cortex made the biggest gains: a striking 25–29% improvement. They caught up to, or even surpassed, their “naturally gifted” peers.
How this works
The science behind it involves a concept called stochastic resonance. Essentially, a little noise actually helps a weak signal to stand out. In the context of “brain zapping” or tRNS, carefully calibrated noise stimulation might enhance cognitive function by making weak neural signals more detectable. Essentially, in the brain, that means nudging sluggish neurons so they’re more likely to fire when needed. And this could especially help people whose brains aren’t wired for fast math learning.
But not everyone benefits from this process. When the team tested the technique on math professors in an earlier study, their performance actually got worse.
It’s not a novel idea. In 2013, a team also led by Kadosh suggested that zaps could help specific neurons fire better and offer a long-lasting math boost. “The results also clarify that stimulation does not only improve specific learning, where practice might make perfect, but also generalized learning, where practicing one skill can transfer to new situations,” the researchers said at the time.
We still don’t know exactly how this works, however. This isn’t the first time this idea was floated around, and already, some consumer-grade brain-stimulators exist. But experts caution that we don’t fully understand how these devices interact with individual brain shapes and chemistry. This is a promising avenue but definitely needs much more exploration.
Why this matters a lot
This isn’t just about getting better at math tests. It’s about helping the people who need it the most. Around a quarter of adults in wealthy countries have math skills on par with a 7-year-old. That’s not just a classroom issue; it affects jobs, income, health, and even trust in society.
Traditionally, education tries to fix these gaps with better teaching. But this study suggests biology plays a much larger role than we thought — and that we might be able to change the brain itself, gently and safely, to help people learn better.
“So far, most efforts to improve education have focused on changing the environment — training teachers, redesigning curricula — while largely overlooking the learner’s neurobiology. Yet, a growing body of research has shown that biological factors often explain educational outcomes in mathematics more powerfully than environmental ones. By integrating insights from psychology, neuroscience and education to develop innovative techniques that address these neurobiological constraints, we can help more people reach their potential, broaden access to diverse career pathways and reduce long-term inequalities in income, health and wellbeing.”
This matters all the more because research has consistently shown that education gaps are very pervasive. These disparities often widen over time, reinforcing what’s known as the “Matthew effect”. Students who begin with an advantage tend to build on it, while those who start behind struggle to catch up.
The fact that the tRNS approach seems to help people who are least proficient could help address this gap. Still, using this method at scale is not something that researchers envision right now.
The study was published in PLoS.
