Modifying Brain Activity Using Magnets

Whenever you read books, listen to music, or watch TV, your brain is using signals made from electricity and chemicals to help you understand the world around you. Your brain is full of cells called neurons that communicate with each other through these signals. Chemicals released from neurons transmit messages to their surrounding neighbors, telling the neighbors whether they should send a signal too. But it is electricity traveling down the length of the neuron that causes the release of those chemicals in the first place. Because electricity is involved in communication between neurons, scientists can use magnets to change the flow of electricity in the brain and explore how that affects behavior. A method called transcranial magnetic stimulation allows scientists who study the brain to stimulate the brain from outside a person’s head (through the skull). This gives scientists clues about brain functioning without requiring dangerous brain surgery!