Transcranial stimulation with an electric current is a frequently used tool in scientific research around the world. In particular, it has been used in experiments on the induction of lucid dreams to regulate brain activity. Until now, this method has been considered relatively safe. Only one case with severe neurological consequences has been reported. Otherwise, the side effects were not dangerous and went away immediately after the experiments.
However, in November 2020, Sandra Boccard-Binet, a neuroscientist from Oxford University, published an article that revealed the dire consequences of such experiments based on her own example. In 2012, Boccard-Binet volunteered to take part in a research study that used transcranial stimulation. The experiment consisted of two programs, each consisting of eight one and a half minute sessions of stimulation with currents of 750 μA, 6 Hz, and 70 Hz, respectively. Under the influence of the current, she was asked to complete a task to assess attention and concentration.
The experiment was successful, but three weeks after it ended, Boccard-Binet felt a change in her well-being. She developed a sense of déjà vu when perceiving someone else’s speech, as well as panic attacks and anxiety. Another “side effect” was lucid dreams and the feeling of unreality in the waking state. The author turned to a clinic for help and, having undergone a series of examinations, received a terrible diagnosis – epilepsy. The EEG had confirmed an abnormality in the temporal lobe of her brain.
Over the next few years, Boccard-Binet had developed seizures. Eight years after the experiment, she feels tired and exhausted from the constant medication she has to take to maintain a normal life. The scientist believes that the microcurrent introduced during the experiment could have caused the illness or aggravated abnormalities of which she had been unaware. Now the scientist is calling for the introduction of mandatory MRIs for all volunteers in similar studies.
The article was published in November 2020 in the Epilepsy & Behavior Reports journal.
