Can Zapping Your Brain Really Make You Smarter?

This is a mounting problem as consumer use of tDCS and of other neurotech applications, such as personal EEG devices and brain fitness software, rapidly grows. Medical ethicist Anna Wexler and psychiatrist Peter Reiner recently noted that this technology is attracting venture capitalists and big corporations. This market segment will likely exceed $3 billion in sales by 2020, making it essential to reliably evaluate consumer neurotech. Wexler and Reiner urge the creation of an independent interdisciplinary agency that would critique the efficacy and risk of neurotech applications without rating individual products. The results would go to consumer groups, health organizations, and regulatory agencies. This oversight group would also consider the ethical and social implications of devices that alter brains.